Careless
by Dlbn
Summary: Kicked out of Seven Voices Academy for failure, the Carless pair of Minami Ritsu and Sumeka Iyani vow to get revenge. The story of how Seven Voices Academy and Septimal Moon came to be how they are today.
1. Careless

Dlbn: Hey everyone! It's me, Queen of random one shot posting!

Nbld: Oh god.

Dlbn: Shut up! My sister and I have decided that we thus far like how this story is going, so we're going to post it.

Nbld: But get this! It's a MULTI-CHAPTER fic with the SAME plot spanning all the chapters, instead of a bunch of one-shots (such as our last Halloween fic was).

Dlbn: So without further ado, here we go!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or any characters, places, organizations, terms, and/or themes contained within. They belong to Yun Kouga. And I, sadly, am not her. Therefore, I don't own this. I just have fun writing it. I make NO money off of writing this work of non-canon fiction.

000

Twelve year old Ritsu Minami sat on the office floor of his father, Saichiru Minami. His father had given him battle strategy books to read and ignored the boy in favor of working on his computer. Ritsu brushed silver bangs from his eyes and looked up at his father. "I've finished." He said simply.

The man nodded once. "Your fighter is coming." He informed.

"Today?" Ritsu's emerald eyes widened. "Why the sudden appearance?" He stood quickly and practically bounded to his father's wooden desk. "What's his name? How old is he? Why is he here without warning? Why?"

"First off," His father's sharp voice scolded, "Do not act out so irrationally. Second, your fighter is a female."

"Female?" Ritsu chuckled. "I thought there _weren't_ any female fighters."

"The number of female fighters has grown alarmingly in the past few years. There are a dozen or so. You happen to be plagued by one."

"Plagued?" Ritsu wondered. "But I thought male and female were equal in the wordspell world."

"Maybe as sacrifices." His father snorted.

Ritsu didn't say anything more, knowing his father was getting agitated. There was no need in pissing of Septimal Moon's number one. The younger Minami's tail swished back and forth in excitement, though his ears were flat against his head. His fighter was coming? He was a little nervous. What should he say to her? What did she look like? Would they get along? Were they the same age? How tall was she? Would she listen to him? Was she properly trained yet? A million questions were floating through his head, though some couldn't be answered until later on.

"When is she coming?" Ritsu asked at last.

His father sighed in frustration. "At three." He said. "That's two hours. Go get lunch or something. I have work to do."

"Okay, father." Ritsu nodded a couple times, before leaving the desk and then the room.

He shut the door behind him and leaned on it, sighing to himself. He had waited for this day for so long. Well, okay, he'd only been waiting since he was five, when his father started training him. But seven years was a long time when you were waiting for your soul mate. Since his soul mate happened to be a female, he wondered if he'd be her soul mate in a relationship sense. He didn't get to think too long, as people began walking down the halls. Students leaving class to go back to their dorms or the lunchroom, and teachers leaving to escape the students in the faculty lounge for lunch. After a few minutes, Ritsu spotted some kids from his grade. He blended into the crowd, eavesdropping on the teens as he walked. After deciding that they had nothing interesting to say, he went to the faculty room. Using the key his father let him have, he unlocked the door and walked in. His blue lunchbox was sitting up on one of the counters, just waiting for him to fetch it. Ritsu pulled a chair over to the counter and climbed onto it. He grabbed his lunch box and hopped down, before pulling the chair to the table and sitting down to eat. He'd eat in the cafeteria with the other students of Seven Voices Academy, but he didn't have any friends. No one wanted to be friends with the Principal's up-and-coming-sacrifice son. He was on his own except for a couple miscellaneous sacrifices that hung around him sometimes. They didn't have fighters yet either, so they hung with him for protection. No one would go after the principal's son and, therefore, they were safer with him. He wondered how they'd react once they learned that his fighter had been found. Maybe they would be happy for him. Or mad that their scapegoat was going off without them.

"Why don't you ever eat in the cafeteria?" Ani-sensei asked him.

Ritsu looked up at her. "I have no reason to." He answered. "No friends."

She shook her head. "A boy your age should be making friends left and right."

He shrugged. "I'm the principal's son." He opened his lunch bag.

"So what?"

"No one wants to piss him off, so they don't bother with me." Ritsu shrugged, taking out some of his food. "It's no big deal. I prefer solitude."

"Aren't you going to take over for your father one day?" She wondered. "You're going to need to learn to work with others if you're the head of Septimal Moon."

"Only if I best him." Ritsu shook his head and bit his sandwich. "Which I doubt I ever will."

"You need to have more confidence in yourself, Minami-kun."

"Father received his _male_ fighter at age nine." Ritsu said. "My fighter is a female. I'm twelve and I haven't met her yet."

"What does gender have to do with anything?" Sensei asked.

"Father says that there is no equality amongst the genders when it concerns fighters. The best fighters are males." Ritsu said. "By having a female fighter, I am severely weakened." He flushed at his sensei, remembering that she was female. "No offense to you or your gender, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure sounds like an insult to me. Directly from the lips of your father." She slammed a fist on the table, making Ritsu and the other teachers jump, before exiting the room.

Ritsu sighed. She'd understand one day.


	2. Deathless

Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! We're back with another chapter!

Nbld: We know it's been a while since we started, but we're back!

Dlbn: And we're going to try and get on a regular update schedule now that school is over :D

Nbld: Until August, or whenever I get accepted to a new school.

Dlbn: That's right, folks! Graduation was yesterday (Saturday, April 27)! So much fun :D Turns out, one of my internet friends' mom graduated with me…also turns out that she's friends with me and some other school friends of mine. O.o small world :D

Nbld: But now, it's time for better things. Such as the Review Corner! Thank you to Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Graduation themed cupcakes for you!

Yoitemichaelis: I squealed over the idea of little Ritsu, so no XD For once, there's a 12 year old with a personality. Though like everyone else, he seems to have daddy issues ;)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Minami Ritsu, Seven Voices Academy, or anything else you recognize from Loveless. They all belong to Yun Kouga. Deathless, Minami Saichiru and Sumeka Iyani ARE mine, though. I make NO money off of writing in this category.

Dedication: This is dedicated to the B/S class of 2013! We made it everyone! Now it's time to move onto bigger and better things! But we will never lose sight of what's important, nor of each other.

000

At ten minutes before three, Ritsu knocked on the door to his father's office and pushed it open. His father was still going over paperwork. Two chairs were sitting in the middle of the room, facing one another. Ritsu knew that one was for him, so the other must be for his fighter. Why would his father provide a chair for a fighter? Weren't fighters second class citizens in their world? At least, that's what his father seemed to go by.

"Hello, father." Ritsu said. "It's nearly three."

"I know what time it is, boy." Saichiru snarled. "Your fighter shall be here shortly. Take a seat."

"Hai." Ritsu nodded once, taking a seat in the chair on the left. He crossed one leg over another and put his arms back over the back of the chair. He laid his head back on the chair back as well, closing his eyes to avoid staring at the white ceiling. "Can I at least get a name?"

He heard his father slam a fist into the desk.

"You'll learn her name when you learn it." He said. "You bothering me about it won't make you learn it faster."

Ritsu huffed. "Hai, father." He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Father?"

"_What_ Ritsu? I have much to do in five minutes time. Make it quick."

"Why are female fighters worth less then males?"

"They simply don't perform as well." His father answered. "And once they fall in love with someone, it's near impossible to get them to listen to you if he's around. Now please, be _quiet_!"

A knock resounded through the room.

"What?" Saichiru growled.

"Um…it's me, sir…" A timid female voice answered him. "I'm supposed to be your son's fighter."

Ritsu sat up quickly and adjusted his appearance.

"Ah, yes. Right on time." Saichiru looked at the clock on his desk. "A minute early, even."

"I'm sorry, sir." She squeaked. "Am I too early?"

"It's fine." Saichiru said. "One moment."

"Understood, sir."

Saichiru tapped his papers on the desk to straighten them out and put them in a manila folder. "You be on your best behavior." He ordered Ritsu. "And make sure she knows she's your fighter. You're not her sacrifice."

"Hai." He nodded once, adjusting his glasses after he did so.

"Remember, the first meeting is the most important. Do _not_ botch it up or make a fool of yourself."

"Hai, father." Ritsu agreed. "Of course not."

His father huffed and walked to the door. Ritsu heard the girl squeal as though she was hit.

"Don't stand near the door!" Saichiru scolded her. "Where's your sense?"

"I'm sorry!" She squeaked.

"He's inside. Do not embarrass yourself."

Ritsu heard his father's footsteps walk away from the door. A few moments passed before the door creaked open again. A young girl, about Ritsu's age or a few years younger, walked in. She had long blonde hair tied into braided pigtails that rested on her shoulders. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed afraid as she entered the room. She wore a pleated pink skirt and white blouse, as was the school dress code. If Ritsu ever took over, the uniforms would be the first thing to go.

"Um…hello…" She greeted, walking closer to him. "I-I'm…uh…"

"Ritsu." He addressed her first, standing. "I'm Ritsu Minami."

She appeared startled, but not annoyed that he had taken over for her. "Greetings." She said, bowing slightly. "I am Iyani Sumeka."

"I've been waiting for you…Iyani."

She smiled at him. "I've been searching for you."

He held out his left hand to her. "Let's not keep each other waiting any longer."

She took her hand in his. "No…let's not…"

FOUR YEARS LATER

Sixteen year old Ritsu Minami grunted in pain as a thick chain wrapped around his left wrist.

"Ritsu!" Iyani Sumeka, his fighter of four years, called to him.

"I'm fine!" He told her. "Don't lost sight of your objective. Take them down!"

"Affirmative!"

"Give up already, Careless!" The male enemy fighter ordered. "You'll never defeat us!"

"We are Deathless!" The male enemy sacrifice informed.

"And we will not succumb to you so easily!" They said as one.

"Finishing each other's sentences." Ritsu shook his head.

"How pathetic." Agreed Iyani.

"Pathetic?" The fighter wondered.

"There is nothing pathetic about us." The sacrifice sneered. "Kenichi! Attack plan alpha!"

"Roger that, Kenta!" Kenichi agreed, eyes lighting up. "Fire! Spread throughout the immediate surrounding area! Burn the enemies to a crisp!"

"Mirror!" Iyani was quick to respond. "Reflect the enemy's attack back at them and transfer damage. We are undamaged!"

Kenichi and Kenta both cried out, as a chain wrapped around each of their right wrists.

"That a girl, Iyani!" Ritsu praised his fighter. "Now finish them!"

"Hai, Ritsu." Iyani nodded once. "Winds of destruction! Swallow the enemy in your dangerous torrents! Spit them out into the calm lands. Damage is a thousand!"

Kenichi and Kenta both cried out as winds encased them.

"Shields!" Kenichi called desperately. "Block the enemy's attack and nullify the effect. Damage is zero!"

"Damn." Ritsu cursed.

"Ice shards! Pierce the enemy's defenses and stab with your stinging chill!" Kenichi said.

"Reflect!" Iyani cried out. "Refract! Mirror!"

"Your attempt at defense is reduced to nothing." Kenta informed. "It's pointless, Careless."

"Damage is two thousand!" Kenichi smirked wickedly. He held out his hand. "We win." With that, he clenched his fist.

The chains, known as restrictions, around Iyani and Ritsu shattered into pieces. Ritsu collapsed to one knee as Iyani stumbled back and held her head. "No…" She muttered. "How could we…lose…?" She collapsed next to her sacrifice.

Ritsu rubbed at his wrist, where the restriction had left a mark. "Damn it!" He whined, punching the ground with one fist. "We had them!"

"Not enough." Kenichi stuck his tongue out at the defeated unit.

Kenta draped an arm over Kenichi's shoulders. "We told you we wouldn't succumb to your power." He laughed. "Well done, Kenichi."

"Why, arigato, Kenta."

"Alright, that's enough." Ritsu's father, Saichiru Minami, called into the arena. "You have made your point. That's five wins for Deathless this semester, eight losses for Careless."

Ritsu's ears flattened against his head, as did Iyani's. "I'm sorry, Ritsu…" She muttered to him.

"It's okay." Ritsu said. "Next time, Iyani."

"I'm afraid there might not _be_ a next time." Saichiru said over the intercom. "At the rate you two are going, you may find yourselves expelled from this academy due to your status as failures."

"What?!" Iyani's head shot up.

"Father!" Ritsu stood. "You can't do that!"

"Watch me." He snapped. "Fail one more time, and you two are out of here!"

The intercom shut off and Deathless left together, snickering. Ritsu slowly sat down next to Iyani, who slammed a fist into the ground.

"How dare he do this!" She snarled. "And to his own _son_?"

"Zip it, Iyani." Ritsu pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know what my father is like. I may be his son, but that means nothing to him."

"I know." She said, putting a hand on his shoulder and leaning her chin on it. "It's still not right."

"I know." He responded. "He still doesn't care."

She sighed. There was no arguing with him. He was right, anyway. Saichiru Minami was a monster. He didn't care about his son's wellbeing. He only cared about upholding the image of his family and of Septimal Moon. If he had to trample his own son and his fighter into the ground to do so, then so be it. She was just a fighter, and a female fighter at that. She had no say in the manner.

"We need to coordinate a better strategy." Ritsu informed. "Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Not for you, I'm not." She shook her head. "Shall we meet in your room again?"

"As usual." Ritsu sighed. He was getting a little bored with the repetitive habits that they had formed over the past four years following their introduction.

"Something wrong, mon seigneur?"

"What did I say about the French?" Ritsu glared at her.

"Sorry, it's a habit." Iyani shrugged. "I only use a few phrases. You should know what they mean by now."

Ritsu glared.

"Okay, okay, no French." She waved her hands. "But how can I practice for my test if I don't use it in everyday life?"

"Use it when it's not me you're talking to. Understood?"

"Completely." She rolled her dark eyes and sighed. "You suck, Ritsu."

"Not as much as you do."

"Only if you ask me nicely." She winked.

"No, I mean really." Ritsu said. "You suck. We lost."

She glared. "_We_ suck." She replied. "Because _we_ are a unit."

"_You_ are _my_ fighter." Ritsu said. "You suck, I don't. I didn't command you at all during that battle."

"Maybe _that's_ our problem. Ever think of that?" Iyani wondered, folding her arms over her chest and pouting. "You're always so quick to blame me. Been listening to your father too much again."

Ritsu glared. "_Never_ compare me to that bastard again." He ordered. "You got me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've got you." Iyani rolled her eyes.

"That's an _order_, Iyani." Ritsu said. "Do _not_ compare me to my father _ever_ again. Do I make myself clear?"

She nodded. "Affirmative, Ritsu." She agreed. "I understand completely."


	3. Dreamless

Dlbn: Hey everyone! Welcome back!

Nbld: Wow, we update as slow as Kami does.

Dlbn: Ba dum tss!

Nbld: Alright, that was dumb. Anyway, time for the Review Corner! Thank you to Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Here's a cookie!

Yoitemichaelis: Glad you liked XD Writing them together is my favorite part of the fic, I think ^^ Here you go *hands you a little Ritsu*

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or Ritsu Minami! He and the series belong to Yun Kouga. I do, however, own Iyani and Ritsu's father. They are all mine. I make NO money off of writing in this category.

000

The next three weeks following Careless' last defeat went without action by Principal Saichiru Minami. Ritsu had forced Iyani to come to his room and train for three or four hours every day, so that their chances of being defeated in their next battle would be smaller. Truth be told, Iyani was getting a little fed up with Ritsu's 'I have to prove my father wrong and avoid being kicked out of the Academy at all costs' attitude. As his fighter, however, she could only moan and groan about it aloud or quietly, but not do anything about it. Stupid 'fighters are slaves' notion going on around the school. If Ritsu became the head of Septimal Moon, which wasn't likely, given their track record, she'd try and change that first. Sure, he'd be the head of Septimal Moon, but he was also a male. She could sway him with her 'feminine charms', if she had the mind to.

"Repeat it again." Ritsu ordered Iyani as he paced in front of her.

She groaned and flopped back onto his bed. "Do I have to?" She wondered. "I know the spell."

He glared at her. "We have to be flawless in our next battle." He said. "Do. It. Again."

She sighed. "I will grit my teeth." She began. "I will not cry out. I will endure."

He nodded once. "Again."

"I will grit my teeth. I will not cry out. I will endure."

"Again."

"I will grit my teeth. I will not cry out. I will endure."

"Again."

"I will grit my teeth. I will not cry out. I will endure."

"Again."

"Screw you."

He glared. "That's not a spell."

"Neither is what you've made me repeat for the past five hours!" She sat up quickly and glared at him, clenching her fists on her knees. "It's just something you made up on the spot so we have something different and unique to yell in battle like morons."

"If you don't like it, then tough." He folded his arms and returned her glare.

They glared at one another for a good five minutes before Iyani huffed and flopped down on her bed.

"We're never going to win like this." She muttered. "Always at one another's throats."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "And whose fault is that."

She sat up and then stood quickly. "Are you insinuating that it's _mine_?"

"I could be."

She rolled her eyes. "_This_ is what I was talking about. _This_ right here! This 'high-and-mighty, holier then thou, I'm better then you, prove my father wrong and avoid being kicked out of the academy no matter what' attitude you've developed since our last battle!"

He glared. "Well _excuse_ me if I'm trying to prevent us from being kicked out! You know how humiliating that is? Not just that he wants to do it in the first place, but that I'm his son for god's sake! _And_ that we're a pitiful enough excuse for a unit that he decided it might need to be done in the first place!"

"The attitude is not helping, Ritsu!" Iyani said. "We've _practiced_ the spells. We've run through _every_ scenario and response we could think of. We've come up with new spells that _don't_ work. What more can we do? We're not _perfect_!"

"I'm not _trying_ to be!" He threw his arms into the air, getting frustrated. "I'm _trying_ to be at least passable! All we need is to win _one_ battle. Is that so much to ask?"

"Perhaps we're coming at this the wrong way. But if you think that acting like a drill sergeant and making your room into boot camp will do _anything_ to help us, then we're not going to get anywhere."

Ritsu rolled his eyes. "Stupid girl, you just don't get it."

She glared. "Stupid girl?" She wondered. "Is _this_ why you think it's my fault? Because I'm a female? I know 'female fighters are inferior to male fighters', but seriously?!"

He didn't say anything for a moment. "That's not what I'm saying."

"Then why not just call me a stupid person, or a fool? Why add the gender?"

"If your gender was any problem to me, I wouldn't have offered my hand when we were kids!"

"Sure, it wasn't a problem back then. But now you're so far under your father's thumb that you'll listen to whatever the bastard says to you!"

Without thinking about it, Ritsu's hand reeled back and slapped across her right cheek, making her cry out in surprise and fall back onto his bed.

"I…Iyani…I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to-" Ritsu sputtered.

She got up and glared at him before stomping to his door and throwing it open.

"Wait, Iyani, please!" Ritsu chased after her into the hall, but she was already around the corner. He sighed in defeat and returned to his room, slamming the door shut with his foot. He flopped down on the bed. "What's wrong with me?!"

000

Iyani didn't speak to Ritsu for days following the incident. He regretting hitting her, which he did the second after he did it, but she wouldn't come to let him apologize. He'd tried her dorm room, but her roommate, a sacrifice named Dreamless, had said that she wanted nothing to do with him until their next battle. That was no good. They needed to do a little more practice, and he needed to apologize. Knowing she was in the art club after school on Wednesdays, he decided to wait for her outside the meeting room. Once everyone else had filed out, he peeked in the door to see her cleaning up her stuff in the back. He sighed wiped a hand over his face, and entered the room. A couple other students were whispering as he entered. He heard mutterings about him actually physically striking Iyani, bets on whether they'd win or lose, and what would happen to them if they were kicked out of the school. He ignored them and made his way back to Iyani, who had stopped packing and was glaring up at him.

"Hi…" Ritsu greeted.

"Hello." She responded. "Need something?"

"I want to apologize."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah…"

"For?"

"Hitting you…"

"And?"

"Pushing you too hard."

"And?"

"Calling you a stupid girl."

"And?"

"There's more I need to apologize for?"

She shook her head and smirked. "I just like screwing with your head. You should know this by now."

"So…we're okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." She shrugged. "Do you wish to practice again? Is that why you're here?"

"I just wanted to apologize." He said. "We don't need to practice again until Friday. Our battle is Saturday afternoon. I just got word from my father."

She nodded. "So quickly? Why am I not surprised?" She sighed. "What time?"

"Noon."

She nodded again. "Fine."

He didn't say anything for a few minutes, as he watched her pack up the rest of her stuff. "Would you like to get something to eat?" He wondered.

"I have plans with Dreamless." She responded. "Tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded and picked up her completely packed bag. "Is that all? May I get going, Ritsu? I shouldn't keep Dreamless waiting."

"Of course." He stood sideways and motioned with his hand for her to pass.

"I'll see you later, then." She walked past him. "Try to keep out of trouble." She looked over her shoulder at him and winked before leaving.

Blushing, and ignoring classmates' taunts, Ritsu left as well.

000

When Saturday afternoon came around, Ritsu couldn't help but feel a little nervous. After all, this _was_ the battle that would decide his fate…their fate. Their opponent was a team called Mindless. Their name didn't sound too comforting, though, to be honest, most names were ironic. They were probably the clearest-thinking unit around. But if they were really Mindless, then they'd be insane. A two-sided coin. One side in Mindless' favor, the other in Careless' favor.

"Who's initiating?" Iyani asked Ritsu, eyeing their opponents as they entered the arena.

The female in front was obviously the sacrifice, her male fighter following her like an obedient puppy.

"I think it's a coin toss." Ritsu said. "Father didn't tell me who starts."

"Then again, why would he? An unfair advantage to our side."

"If he told me, he would have told them as well."

She shrugged. "I suppose so."

Mindless stood opposite Ritsu and Iyani, with the fighter slightly behind his sacrifice and to the left. Iyani stood tall and tried to appear confident, as did Ritsu, but they were both nervous as they stood side by side. Mindless' sacrifice smirked at them.

"Greetings, Careless." The sacrifice said. "I am Zailah. He is Haruto. We are Mindless."

"Ritsu and Iyani." Ritsu gestured to himself and then Iyani.

"We are Careless."

Haruto nodded. "We're aware."

"Shut up." Zailah ordered.

"Hai, hai."

Iyani rolled her eyes. "Where's your leash?" She wondered.

"Iyani." Ritsu snapped.

"I hate men who can't think for themselves." She folded her arms over her chest.

The loudspeaker crackled to life. "Mindless! Careless!" Saichiru spoke over the PA system. "It is time for the battle to commence. Do not keep me waiting any longer."

"Hai, sensei!" The four cried out as one.

A large TV screen lit up on one side of the arena. A virtual die was rolling on it.

"An odd number, Careless goes first." Saichiru declared. "Even number? Mindless attacks first."

The die bounced around on the screen for a few moments before coming to a stop. The number facing the screen was five. Iyani muttered a 'yes' to herself, while Ritsu merely nodded.

"Careless! I will give you three minutes to prepare. Do not waste time."

"Hai!"

Mindless went to their side of the arena, conversing with one another.

"What should we begin with?" Iyani wondered. "Our usual tactic doesn't work."

"Focus on restraint before damage." Ritsu ordered. "Once they're restrained enough, we can launch a full frontal attack."

She nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. What type of defensive spells?"

"Careless!" Saichiru called. "One minute!"

"Reflection and rebound."

"Got it."

"Time is over!" Saichiru informed. "Prepare for battle! Careless, you may begin at the sound of the bell."

A few moments passed before a bell rang.

"Vines!" Iyani called. "Entangle the enemy in your twisting grasp. Hinder their movements!"

Blue lighting colored lines whipped towards the enemy team, but Haruto's response was quick. He threw his arm up to protect his face.

"Fire!" Haruto called. "Burn the vines and prevent their attachment!"

Bright red flames burst on the blue lines and shattered them into fragments that bounced around. Iyani threw up her left arm, the first three fingers on her hand extended, and the others slightly tucked down.

"Ice! Freeze the flames that burn so bright." Ice shards flew from her fingertips and encrusted the fire. "Shatter!" She closed her hand into a tight fist. The ice shards exploded and flew everywhere.

Zailah covered her head with her arms.

"Shield!" Haruto called. "Reflect the shards back at their masters!"

Ice shards bounced off of an invisible shield and headed for Iyani.

"Flames! Melt the shards of ice!" Iyani was quick on the reaction. "Thick chains! Pierce the enemy's defense and shackle them!"

As the ice melted into little puddles of goo, long, thick chains wrapped around the others' wrists and ankles.

"Yes!" Iyani called. "We restricted them!"

"Don't let your guard down!" Ritsu warned, flinging his arm down to the right. "They could counter and break the chains!"

"Hai!" She agreed.

"Ice, encrust the chains!" Haruto ordered. "Break apart their strength with your chilly touch!"

"Revert!" Iyani called. "Ice, turn on your masters and encrust them in a shield of ice!"

"Iyani, no!" Ritsu moaned. "You ordered the reflection, so _we're_ the masters!"

"Flames! Melt and destroy the ice!" Iyani called.

It was too late. A cold chill worked its way up Ritsu's legs, encrusting him up to his torso. He noticed the same happening to Iyani. They looked like sticks of rock candy.

"Haruto! Shatter them!" Zailah ordered.

"Hai!" Haruto agreed. "Daggers! Pierce the enemies' defenses and shatter their resolve!"

"Reflect!" Iyani called out. "Turn the daggers back upon my enemy!"

"Revert!" Haruto copied Iyani's earlier spell. "Send the daggers chasing through the ice piercing the enemies' souls!"

"Reflect! Refraction! Reverse!" Iyani called out every spell she knew, but it was too late.

Dagger shaped shards of light struck at them, making both Ritsu and Iyani cry out in pain. A chain appeared around Ritsu's right wrist, connected to a chain on Iyani's left wrist.

"We restricted them!" Zailah clapped. "Finish the job, Haruto! End this battle, _now_!"

"As you wish, Zailah." Haruto smirked. "Shards of piercing light. Break through the darkness and pierce the enemies' souls!"

"Refraction!" Iyani called. "Deflect and scatter the light!"

"Smog! Confuse the light and latch onto the target!"

"Iyani!" Ritsu called out.

"Winds! Blow away the fog clouding my vision!"

Ritsu cried out as bits of light struck at him. Another chain appeared on his left wrist, where a light shard had hit him. It connected to Iyani's right wrist, making her arms pull back.

"Damn it!" She cursed, losing her patience.

"Iyani! That spell we've been practicing! Use it before you lose your cool!"

"I will grit my teeth." She spoke, complying with his order. "I will not cry out. I will endure. I will endure!" Her eyes lit up with a fiery passion Ritsu had never seen before. "Clouds! Control the heavens and shelter the light!"

The area grew dark as clouds former overhead.

"Lightning! Rain down from the clouds and strike the enemy!"

"Iyani! Never use rain and lightning in the same sentence when involving clouds!"

Both Mindless laughed loudly at her mistake, making Ritsu hang his head. How foolish…

A downpour began. Water cascaded upon both teams in little pings. Lightning sped down at Mindless, but Haruto called out. "Mirror! Send the lightning back to its source!"

The lightning suddenly turned direction and aimed at Iyani and Ritsu.

"Iyani!"

"Reflect! Reverse! Rotate!" Iyani called.

"Shield us, you idiot!"

"Shield! Cover thy master and block the incoming attack!"

Before a shield could form around them, lightning struck down upon Careless. As a restriction appeared around Ritsu's neck, he knew they were about to lose. It couldn't be a complete restriction, but it would be enough damage to end the battle in Mindless' favor.

"Mirror our bodies and reflect the lightning! Ah!" Iyani called out.

The skies cleared and the rain stopped. When Ritsu opened his green eyes again, the restrictions were gone as well. Zailah was happily hugging her fighter, who had his arms wrapped tightly around her. Iyani sat on her knees on the ground. Ritsu flopped down at her side and slammed a fist into the ground. "Damn it!"  
They had lost.

"Winner!" Saichiru's voice boomed over the loudspeaker, sending a shiver through his son's body. "Mindless!"

"Haha! We win!" Zailah called. "Tough luck, Careless! Nice battle!"

"Mindless, leave the arena now!" Saichiru ordered. "Careless, join me in my office. Post haste."

Ritsu groaned. This couldn't be good.


	4. Classless

Dlbn: Hey, everyone! And welcome back to a much delayed update!

Nbld: Working on cosplay for an upcoming convention in Boston this week (Anyone going to Anime Boston? I'm gonna be Nisei one day and my boyfriend claims he might be Ritsuka…he better be. I'm going through all this trouble to buy him a cosplay for it -_-), trying to register my Nintendo games for Club Nintendo, but most don't have the codes ., getting harassed by creepy a guy in a bar when I went with friends (only two of us girls, and only two of us straight…me and the other girl XD), and just some general laziness on our part.

Dlbn: Sorry! But on another good note, two more new Loveless chapters (113/114) came out, and they _both_ have to do with Nisei! It's awesome! Finally, a back story!

Nbld: Don't reveal too much, idiot! So my sister doesn't give out _too_ much info, let's get onto the Review Corner! Thank you to Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Candy for you! *hands you some*

Yoitemichaelis: Well, you're in luck, because these two just scream 'angst' to me XD Aw thanks. I'm always worried my spell battles are lame. That means a lot! *hugs*

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or any canon characters. They belong to Yun Kouga. Iyani, Saichiru, any teachers, Hibiki, Hibiki's harem, Ryuunosuke, Katashi, and any other non-canon familiar characters are mine. I know there are a lot of OC in here, but since it's a past fic, it's kind of necessary ^^" I make NO money off of writing in this category.

000

Ritsu stood in Saichiru's office, stunned by his father's words. His father was really kicking him out of the school? And not just a suspension, but a permanent banishment from school grounds?

"…a disgrace to the fighting world!" Saichiru was yelling at the two teens. "You have not won a single battle since you were paired up! And for such a failure to be my own son? Disgraceful."

"You're disgraceful!" Iyani accused, balling her hands into tight fists at her side. "You would kick your own son out of your school and banish him from school grounds because he doesn't live up to your ridiculous expectations!" She shook her head, blonde tresses blowing around her like a halo. "It's disgraceful! Horrible!"

"Ritsu! Muzzle your dog!" Saichiru ordered.

"_Dog_?" Iyani growled. "Did you just call me a canine?! Why, I _never_-!"

"Iyani." Ritsu spoke softly, lowly. "Stop it. There's nothing we can do."

She turned on her heel to face him. "Don't give up so easily! You can't let him do this to you! To _us_!"

Ritsu shook his head and shrugged. "He's the head of Septimal Moon." He finally looked off of the floor and up at her. "What can we do? His orders are absolute."

"Ritsu! Contest this! Don't hang your head and pout! Be a man! Step up! Ritsu!" She was even more agitated with him. More so then she was with his father.

"Hold your tongue." Ritsu told her. "That's an order."

"But…!"

"An order!"

Saichiru smirked and interlaced his fingers, resting his chin on them and turning his face down to hide his mouth with his fingers. "So you understand, do you?" He chuckled. "The two of you are dead as a team, and hereby banished from Seven Voices Academy. If you try to return without my consent, or if it reaches me that you are still fighting as a unit, you will be dealt with harshly. Understood?"

"Yes, father." Ritsu muttered.

"Both of you?"

Iyani said nothing, still staring at the floor with her hands in fists at her sides.

"I asked you a question, girl. Now answer!"

"Acknowledged." She scowled at the floor.

"Excellent." He leaned back in his chair. "I will give you until 9 PM tonight to get your stuff and vacate school grounds. A transport will await you outside the school. Be even one minute late, and you will suffer consequences. This meeting is through." He turned his hair to face the window and threw his left arm in the air, wiggling his fingers. "Go!"

The two of them slowly left the office together.

"Iyani, I'm sorry…" Ritsu told her, reaching for her hand.

She recoiled from his touch. He held out his hand, palm up and last two fingers curled in.

"Please…?" He asked. "We have to stick together now."

"We are no longer a unit and therefore have no further business with each other." She informed him. "Good day, Ritsu Minami."

"Iyani, wait!" He grabbed her by the wrist before she could flee. "Listen to me." He ordered. "I don't know how, I don't know when, and I don't know where. But one day I will find my way back to you. We will be together again and we will take him down. We _will_ defeat my father."

She scoffed and yanked her arm free. "We can't even hold our own against amateurs like Mindless and Deathless." She reminded him. "How can you expect to take on the best sacrifice in the world?"

"Not the best. The most powerful." Ritsu corrected her. "And one without a fighter. We can take him. We just need time. Perhaps when we're a little older. More mature."

She smiled softly. "I suppose…in time…"

"We will be separated." Ritsu said. "But you are my fighter. I am your sacrifice. No matter what happens, we will always find our way back to each other. That is what it means to be connected."

"Connected…" Her chocolate brown eyes finally met with his. "Yes. That is what it means."

"Then you agree with me? No matter what happens? We will find our way back to one another."

"Agreed." She held out her hand. Her palm faced inward and her last two fingers curled in. "No matter how long we are separated, how far apart we are. We will be one again."

"One and the same." He shook her hand.

"Forever."

TWO YEARS LATER

Ritsu Minami sighed as he tried to keep awake in his third period class. Two years ago, a simple mistake had led to him being forced to trade in his third period "Battle Strategy" class for a third period "Introduction to Film" class. His classmates were all boring. None of them had any depth to them, and they hardly seemed to have personalities. Sure, a few people were nice enough to talk to him sometimes, but no one was really worth a long conversation. It was just like at Seven Voices, except that a couple guys had decided that Ritsu was okay enough to be accepted into their group. He now had a set of three friends, though they weren't the kind of friends he'd see outside of school.

"Minami-kun!" His sensei snapped. "It doesn't appear that you're paying attention to my lesson. Care to explain why not?"

Ritsu stood, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Sumimasen, sensei." He said, bowing a bit. "I got into a major fight with my father yesterday, and things are just not going well. I will try and forget about it and pay more attention in class from now on."

"I'm sorry about your home issues, but keep those at home." His sensei nodded. "Now…"

The bell rang, cutting the rest of the lecture short. His sensei sighed. "That's all for today. Have a good afternoon, everyone."

"Good afternoon, sensei." Ritsu and the others replied, all of them standing and bowing as they spoke.

Along with the rest of his classmates, Ritsu packed up his stuff and left the classroom. He didn't have any reason to stick around. He didn't like the artsy kids, and they didn't like him…whatever he was. "Loser" was probably the only label that would fit him, really. He hated to say it, but he missed Iyani. If she were with him…then maybe…he wouldn't feel so alone in a world full of normal people. He hadn't seen her since they were kicked out of the school. He wondered if she missed him, too. Probably not. He seemed to piss her off more often then he didn't. He knew that where his name was tattooed strained sometimes. Was she calling out to him? He'd never seen it glow, so that couldn't be it. Maybe she was hurt? Or in danger? Or…

Ritsu was snapped from his thoughts when he ran into something…or rather, someone. A startled cry broke out from both parties. Ritsu recognized the other voice as that of Hibiki Agatsuma. Popular kid and school pretty boy. Ritsu didn't like him very much. Sure, the guy was on the top of every girl's 'hot list', as one girl had put it. But he was really just a stuck up idiot who couldn't take care of himself, and was so insecure that he needed a harem of women at his side. Always. Sure enough, two of his usual escorts were kneeling down by his side, trying to help him up. Ritsu brushed his clothes off and offered Hibiki a hand, but he bashed it away like he was disgusted.

"I don't need your help, Minami." Hibiki informed.

"Just thought I'd be nice." Ritsu shrugged. "No need to be a jackass."

"Excuse me?"

Ritsu felt his body tense, ready to fight like he once used to. "You heard me, Agatsuma." He said.

Hibiki snarled, but didn't lunge like Ritsu expected. Instead, he flicked his bangs out of his vision and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're not worth my time." He walked past him, making it a point to rudely shove into him.

Ritsu growled a little and shoved back, making Hibiki spin a little.

"What the hell, Minami?" Hibiki cursed.

"You shoved me first." Ritsu said. "It's natural that I would take advantage of your attack and put it back against you."

"Attack?" Hibiki laughed. "You're not a soldier, moron, stop acting like it." He adjusted his school uniform tie. "Let's go, girls." He said. "We don't want to miss our buses."

The girls 'hmphed' at Ritsu before following Hibiki outside.

"Did you really just try and challenge Hibiki Agatsuma?" One of Ritsu's male classmates asked him. "You know that's suicide, right? He's got friends on every sport team imaginable, and not to mention himself and his harem of women."

"I've fought worse." Ritsu shrugged.

It's not like it was a lie, per say…

"Sure." His classmate rolled his eyes. "Just be careful."

"I will." Ritsu nodded, before leaving his classmate alone to go be alone with his own thoughts.

His father had been nice enough to have a place set up for him to live in. His mother had died when he was four years old, due to complications from a surgery, so he didn't have anywhere to go. Saichiru had hired people to keep watch over him until he turned eighteen, which only made them stay for a year. Now being eighteen, Ritsu still lived under his father's money and the roof he'd put over his head when he kicked him out. Iyani, however, was lucky enough to have both of her parents alive and willing to let her move back in. They were happy to have her home, since her boarding at the school had been an 'unfortunate circumstance of her enrollment', as Ritsu had heard Iyani quote a thousand times before. Sadly, however, they lived in Kyoto. She was nowhere near Ritsu in Tokyo, so he was virtually alone in the middle of a city he'd been to twice in his life. They were six hours apart and had had no contact with one another since they'd been removed from the school. Her parents seemed to blame him. Though he couldn't blame them, Ritsu was still annoyed. They had failed _as a unit_. That meant that it was neither her fault nor his. But it didn't matter anymore. He still had no way to see his other half. Until they found a way to meet up or contact one another again, they'd have no choice but break the promise they made to each other two years before.

"We will be one again…" Ritsu muttered to himself, shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts as he walked down to his locker.

He reached the metal container and spun his locker's combination, causing it to click. He opened it and started to put away his books.

"Hey, Ritsu!" Ryuunosuke, one of Ritsu's classmates, greeted him. He leaned against the locker to the right of Ritsu's.

Ryuunosuke's friend, Katashi, stood next to him.

"What?" Ritsu wondered, throwing his Japanese workbook into his locker.

"We're going to the arcade after school. Wanna go?" Ryuunosuke wondered, tilting his head up and to the side. He peered down at Ritsu with cold brown eyes.

"I have other plans." Ritsu lied.

He really didn't, but he didn't want to spend time with these morons either. They weren't going to the arcade just to play games. They probably wanted to hit on some girls, or force younger kids to hand over winnings or money.

"You sure?" Katashi wondered. "We can play games and crap. Get food. You know; the usual arcade stuff."

"You two just want to shake down some stupid kids or play games with some young girls' heads, and you know it." Ritsu spoke crossly. He slammed his locked shut. "I don't want any part in things like that."

They both looked shocked.

"How did you…?" Ryuunosuke started, but then stopped. "Whatever. See you around then. Let's go, Katashi."

"Sure thing." Katashi nodded once at Ritsu, flicking the latter's glasses up a bit, before following his friend.

If Ritsu didn't know better, he'd swear that they were a unit; Ryuunosuke the sacrifice and Katashi the fighter. However, neither of them had the aura of a fighter or sacrifice around them, and they were both to stupid to do any real damage; wordspell or otherwise. Then again, considering Ritsu's own track record, he wasn't one to judge. 'Clueless Careless', he'd heard people call himself and Iyani. Their real name was Careless, but they were so bad at what they did that they were considered 'clueless' as well. He hated the nickname, and had made a few units learn that lesson before he left the academy, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He wondered if Iyani put up with being called that. Probably not. She had a knack for getting into fights when insulted. She'd probably made more people learn the lesson of not calling her that to her face then Ritsu had. Ritsu shook his thoughts off and slammed his locker shut. Without another thought about Iyani, he left the school to start an afternoon of freedom.


	5. Spaceless

Dlbn: Hey everyone! I'm back!

Nbld: We had a CRAZY weekend at Anime Boston, but we're back now for another new chapter!

Dlbn: Yay!

Nbld: So let's get onto the Review Corner! Thank you to Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Convention swag for you! *hands you some*

Yoitemichaelis: Ritsu does get a lot of crap to deal with, doesn't he? D: Glad you like it! I'm trying to show Ritsu going from a sweet little boy into what he became in the series, you know? Iyani sometimes has no choice but to be a jerk to Ritsu because he's so stubborn XD You'll find out about Soubi's dad eventually ;)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Ritsu or any other recognizable Loveless characters. They belong to Yun Kouga. I DO, however, own Iyani, Hibiki, and anyone else you recognize as non-canon. I make NO money off of writing in this category

000

When Ritsu returned to school alone the next morning, there seemed to be a lot of commotion. He overheard some girls talking on the front steps of the school as he passed them.

"Can you believe we have a new student?" One asked her friends. "It's the middle of the year!"

"I heard she got expelled from her old school." A second one said.

"For what?" Asked a third.

"Fighting." The second informed. "Apparently, this is the third school she's been kicked out of for the same reason."

"How do you know all this? It could just be gossip."

"It probably _is_ just gossip."

"No way! I heard it from the principal! He was on the phone with someone!"

Ritsu kept walking past the girls, leaving them and their rumors behind. So it was some girl with a behavioral problem. Big deal. Wasn't that part of being a teenage female, anyway? Moody and temperamental? Oh, if Iyani ever heard him think or say that, she'd slaughter him for being like his father. Then he'd yell at her for comparing him to that bastard.

"Hear about the new girl?" Katashi asked Ritsu, putting an arm around his shoulders as he joined his side.

"Yeah, I did." Ritsu pushed him off. "So what? Who cares? As long as she doesn't bother me, I don't need to care."

"She fights." Ryuunosuke added, joining Ritsu from his other side. "A lot."

"And?" Ritsu wondered. "It's still not my problem. I wouldn't fight a girl."

The other two males shook their heads.

"So chivalrous." Ryuunosuke sneered.

Ritsu smirked. Iyani made him that way.

000

Half asleep by this sixth period chemistry class, Ritsu wasn't aware that his sensei was talking until he heard his name. He snapped to attention and stood. "Hai, sensei?" He wondered, looking at his desk as he bowed. He didn't take his eyes off of the desk top as his classmates laughed.

"That's Ritsu." His sensei said. "You may have a seat next to him."

"Hai." A quiet female voice answered.

Ritsu's head shot up. New lab partner…? Oh, it must be the new girl. Ritsu's eyes slid from his sensei to the girl next to him. Familiar chocolate eyes locked with his, and a familiar smile greeted him on her lips. Half of her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore jeans with a simple tank top, but there was no mistaking her. The girl standing before him was none other then Iyani Sumeka.

Ritsu felt his jaw slide open a little and his eyes grow. Classmates giggled at him while his sensei ordered him to shut his fly trap. No one seemed to notice the harsh glare in Iyani's eyes at the sensei for his rudeness. Ritsu slid his mouth shut slowly.

"Hai, sensei. Sumimasen." He nodded once and sat down.

Iyani thanked their sensei and joined him at his lab table. Sensei began his lesson as she sat down.

"Hey." She greeted. "I'm Iyani."

"Ritsu." He responded, catching her wink.

Okay, so they had to pretend they were just meeting for the first time. Fine.

"Nice to meet you, Ritsu-san." She smiled prettily.

Ritsu swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "You too, Iyani-chan."

She gave him a curious look before opening her notebook. He looked her over. She was a little taller then he remembered, and more filled out, but she mostly looked the same. She looked at him out of the corner of her chocolate eyes. Ritsu opened his notebook and scribbled down a message before letting her see it. Her eyes scanned the paper, and her light pink painted lips curled into a smile.

_Why are you here?_ He had asked her.

_Haven't you heard the rumors? _Was her reply. _I got suspended for one too many fights at school._

_So the rumors are true._

_Well, I _am _a fighter, after all._

He chuckled inwardly at that and cracked a smile. She was right. _But why here? Nowhere else close to home?_

_My parents got mad at me for the suspension and kicked me out. _She explained. _I moved to a cheap hotel here in town, so I go to school here now. With you. Oh the joys._

_We will be one again._

She didn't respond for a long time. Finally, her pen scribbled an answer _One and the same._

_Forever._

_You remembered…_

_How could I forget?_

She flushed a little bit at that, but wrote an answer anyway. _I wonder with you. But for now, end this discussion and let me pay attention. I don't want trouble on my first day, or I'm screwed._

He didn't answer this time and merely nodded his head once. So his fighter was alone in the big city, living in a cheap hotel, and back in his life. Well now…things at this school were about to get interesting…

000

Ritsu didn't see Iyani for the rest of the day. She had fled their class and blended into the crowds, apparently not wanting to deal with him. That was strange. They were bound to one another, so they most definitely had to deal with one another at some point. Ritsu sighed as he put his books in his locker and started to shut it. A hand slammed the locked shut and he followed a feminine wrist up to see who it was.

"Iyani." He greeted, a little breathless. "Hey."

"Don't seem so surprised to see me." She smiled, leaning on his locker. She crossed her legs out in front of her and folded her arms over her chest.

"I haven't seen you all day."

"Do you really want people seeing us together and getting the wrong idea?"

"Wrong idea?"

"That because I had to sit next to you in one class, it means I'm attached to you and following you around like a puppy. Because I honestly have better ways to waste my time."

"God, what happened to you?" Ritsu wondered. "You were never this…"

"Bitchy?"

"Sarcastic and rude as all hell."

She chuckled. "Public school will do that to a girl." She answered. "I'm still the same me, I just have an attitude."

"You've always had an attitude."

She uncrossed her arms long enough to slap him across the face, but then quickly regained her composure. "Baka."

He laughed, rubbing his sore cheek. "So…did you come find me for a reason…?"

"It's you." She said. "What kind of a fighter would I be if I didn't try to find your sorry ass?" She cocked an eyebrow and laughed at the look on his face.

"You've had two years of not looking for my sorry ass." Ritsu said. "What's a few more days?"

"Hmph." She blew a stray strand of hair from her face. "Baka. Baka, baka, baka, baka."

"Takes one to know one, Iyani." He said. "What hotel are you staying in?"

"The Sakura Motel."

"Wow, talk about low-grade…"

That place was so run down; he considered it more of an outhouse with a bed then an actual motel.

"I told you it was cheap." She rolled her dark eyes. "I'm broke."

"Couldn't you find something a little…safer…?"

"Its 20 bucks a night." Iyani responded. "I can't afford much more then that."

"And what are you going to do when you run out of cash? This school doesn't have dorms like Seven Voices."

"I'll worry about that when the time comes."

"You're a moron."

"Thanks, I like you, too."

"I'm being serious." Ritsu said. "When 'the time comes', you're going to need something _fast_."

"So?"

"It's better to prepare beforehand…damn." He rolled his eyes. "Clueless Careless. Boy, did they ever have you pegged when they came up with _that_ name."

That did it. Her chocolate eyes narrowed and burned with a rage he'd never seen in her before. She arched off of the lockers and, faster then he could process, slammed him into his.

"Don't." She said. "Don't use that term ever again. It's humiliating." She growled.

He shoved her back, making her stumble a little. "Don't do that again." He said. "That's an _order_."

She glared. "Hai, Rokudenashi." _Asshole_.

"Hey." He snarled, scolding her.

"Hay is for horses, and I ain't one." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You look like one."

"And you smell like one."

He glared. She stuck her tongue out and giggled.

"I do not…"

"Whatever you're wearing does. Seriously, Ritsu, switch colognes."

He glared. "I don't _wear_ cologne."

"That explains a lot."

A few girls walking down the hall giggled. Ritsu identified them quickly as two things. One, not threats. And two, part of Hibiki's harem. He wondered how much they heard, and was a little surprised that Hibiki wasn't with them; stopping to flirt with Iyani, laughing at her taunts of Ritsu, or yelling at him for being ruining her reputation on her first day.

"You're only here one day, and you're already harassing Minami?" Hibiki's voice asked. "I think you're going to fit in here just fine."

_Speak of the devil, and he shall appear_. Ritsu thought.

Hibiki rounded the corner with a couple girls in tow. The ones that were already in the hall smiled and waved at their friends, seemingly oblivious that they were all hanging out with and were after the same man.

"And who are _you_?" Iyani wondered, folding her arms.

Ritsu thought he could see the slightest of blushes crawling over her cheeks. Oh no, not Iyani, too.

"I'm Hibiki Agatsuma." He took a few quick steps to her and took her hand, making her uncross her arms. "Pleased to meet you, my lady. We have art together. You're very good." He kissed her knuckles.

"Oh kill me now." Ritsu rolled his eyes.

"That can be arranged." Hibiki glared up at him from Iyani's hand.

She wretched her hand away. "You'll do no such thing." She said.

"Oh?" Hibiki looked surprised. "And why is that?"

"Because you wouldn't do too well in prison." She winked at him.

He chuckled. "I suppose not." He said.

"After all, what would you do without all these women at your feet?"

Ritsu chuckled, though he tried to muffle it. "Iyani…"

"Don't talk to him like that." A pretty redhead ordered.

"It's quite alright." Hibiki said. "I like a challenge."

Iyani's flush darkened and her eyes flared. "Whoever said I was challenging you? I was merely stating facts…"

He shrugged. "That may be." He said. "But I can tell you're just playing hard to get. You'll like me eventually."

She rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming, pretty boy."

Ritsu was impressed. She was really holding her own against him, when most girls would be falling for his charms. Though, if you asked Ritsu, he had no charms. He was just another pretty face. Not that Ritsu thought he was pretty or anything.

"Only if I'll see you in my dreams." He winked. "I'd better get going. I have practice. It was nice meeting you, Iyani-chan."

"That's Sumeka-chan to you."

He smiled. "Sure it is." With that, Hibiki left, his harem following him.

Ritsu gave Iyani a look. "Well…"

"Huh?"

"Congratulations. You've managed to do what no other girl at this school has."

"What's that?"

"Resist him."

She rolled her eyes. "He's a playboy."

"At least you see it. The other girls around here just see his looks."

"Do you see it too?"

"What?"

"His looks."

"Shut up. I'm just repeating what they say. I'm sick of girls calling him sweet and dreamy or whatever. He's an ass."

"Hmph. He seems like it." Iyani rolled her eyes. She stretched. "Well, I'm tired of being here already. I'm going home. Walk me?"

"You mean you're going hotel."

"Words have never been your strong suit."

"They're supposed to be yours."

She snorted.

"Hey…uh…"

"What?"

"Would you just want to…I don't know…stay at my place?"

"What?" She laughed. "Stay with _you_?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "It's safer then Sakura and I won't charge rent."

"Such a gentleman." She giggled. "Taking care of your estranged fighter who just slammed you into a locker and demasculated you by standing up to the school pretty boy playboy for you? You either have a bleeding heart, or you're a moron."

"Maybe I'm both."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Alright." She thought for a moment. "Fine, I'll take you up on the offer. Arigato."

"Don't worry about it." He said. "Come on, follow me."


	6. Hobbyless

Dlbn: We're back! Sorry it's been a while since the last update, but here you go! :D

Nbld: Thank you to Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Candy for you! *hands you candy*

Yoitemichaelis: Haha glad you like her XD she's my favorite in this fic, I think :D Soubi's dad is a stereotypical 'hottie' you find in any anime XD Another chapter coming up!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or any characters from it. I make NO money off of writing this fic. I wrote it only for the fun and enjoyment of my readers :D Hibiki and Iyani ARE mine, however. As are Ritsu's school friends.

000

Iyani seemed surprised, but pleased, at Ritsu's apartment. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was better then the crappy motel she'd decided to stay in. At least here she wouldn't have to worry about being forced to use wordspell to defend herself. A lock on the front door did just fine for security.

"I'm surprised the old bastard cares about you enough to get you a place like this." Iyani informed.

"I was just as surprised as you are. He even hired people to keep an eye on me until I turned 18." He added.

"Really?" She cocked an eyebrow. "How unusual." She flopped down sideways on his couch, folding her arms behind her head. "Arigato for this, Ritsu." She told him.

"Dōitashimashite." Ritsu responded. "I've got a spare bedroom, but there's no blankets or anything."

She nodded to her luggage, which they had picked up at the motel before paying the desk clerk for the night she'd stayed there. "I have everything I need over there."

One roll away suitcase and three or four smaller airport classified carry-on ones was apparently enough for her. She must not have had a lot of stuff. Or she needed to leave a lot behind in order to leave. One of the two.

"Are you sure? I have some linens and stuff in the hall cabinets…"

"I can take care of myself." She turned her head to look at him. "Don't worry about me. Just worry about you, okay?"

"Okay, fine."

Ritsu walked into the kitchen and picked up a pile of takeout menus. He walked back to Iyani and threw them into a neat pile on her stomach. "Here, go through these. If you see something you like, give me a shout and I'll order." He said.

She looked up at him with a quizzical look on her face. "Seriously?" She wondered. "A bunch of takeout menus? Don't you have anything here to cook?"

"I can't cook."

She gave him a look. "Oh, right, I should've guessed that living in normal society for two years _wouldn't_ have made you acquire any practical skills necessary to survive."

"If you really want something that's not take out, why don't _you_ cook, hm?"

She shrugged. "Sure." She forced herself into a sitting position and swung her legs off the side of the couch. "I'll have something ready quick. If you have anything to cook with, that is?"

"There's food in there."

She nodded. "Go do your homework or…whatever you do on a Friday night. I can't imagine it's dating."

He rolled his eyes. "I'll be on my laptop."

"And I'll be making dinner. I'll call you when I'm ready."

"Fine." He started to leave the room, but stopped and turned to look at Iyani's retreating form.

"Hey, Iyani?"

"Yes?"

"Arigato."

She smiled softly. "It's the least I can do."

Ritsu smiled and walked off towards his room. Why was her smile making him feel like a pile of goo?

000

By Monday, word seemed to get around school that Iyani and Ritsu had left together on Friday after school. People were gossiping back and forth about it, not really caring if Ritsu or Iyani were around to hear them. In fact, Iyani or Ritsu being around seemed to make it all worse. By the time lunch had come around, Ritsu was sure he'd heard mentions of it from everyone. Iyani had decided that there was no need to hide the fact that she and Ritsu did know each other, and had sat next to him at lunch.

"W-what are you doing?" He asked her.

"What does it look like?" She asked, bopping him on the head with her fist. "I'm having lunch." She sat down. "Why hide it?"

Ryuunosuke and Katashi seemed surprised that she was sitting with them; both their mouths were open and they were each in mid bite of their food. Katashi was halfway through with his sandwich, but the rest had fallen onto his plate in a sloppy mess. Ryuunosuke's food was much more behaved; a French fry dripping catsup on the table.

"What?" Iyani asked them. "Never seen a girl before?"

"They're just surprised, Iyani." Ritsu said. "Don't be rude to people you've just met."

"Hai, hai." She sighed, picking up her burger and taking a bite. "What's going on with everyone? For some reason, me hanging with you is big news around here."

"Because Ritsu-kun isn't normally seen with a girl around him." Hibiki's voice said from behind them.

Ritsu turned and glared. "Minami-san." He corrected.

Iyani leaned backwards until she could see him. "Oh, it's just pretty boy." She greeted. "What do you want?"

"Just thought I'd extend an offer." He held out his hand. "And a hand." He chuckled.

She rolled her eyes at him. "This is my not amused face." She informed, her features going neutral. "You should get to know it, because I have a feeling that you'll be seeing it a lot."

Hibiki chuckled. "As for my offer?" He asked. "I would like to extend an invitation to sit with my friends and I for lunch one day. Just one day."

"Call me when hell freezes over." She informed, holding her hand at her ear like a phone. "I might consider it then."

Ritsu chuckled. "Iyani, enough. Come on, now." He said.

She rolled her eyes over at him. "Hai, hai." She agreed. "Baka."

As she sat up, she slapped him upside the back of the head. He rolled his eyes and rubbed where she had hit him. It didn't hurt, but he could play along.

"So mean, Iyani."

She giggled. Actually _giggled_ at him. "Not mean enough, I'm afraid."

"Well…when you're ready to dump the zeroes and hang with the big boys, let me know." Hibiki danced his fingers along her shoulders as he walked away.

She shuddered. "Ew." She picked up her sandwich again. "What does a girl have to do to make a man take a hint that she's not interested?"

"He won't leave you alone until he wins you." Ryuunosuke said softly. "I think it's his personal goal to win over all the females in the school before moving on to charm the rest of Tokyo."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Ritsu agreed, shaking his head. "He never seems happy with his harem."

"I've never seen him work this hard for someone, though." Katashi offered. "You must be something special, Sumeka-chan."

"Iyani." She corrected. "It's just Iyani."

"I'd feel improper…"

"She'll yell at you if you call her anything else, now that she's warned you once." Ritsu answered for her, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Katashi and Ryuunosuke shared a look.

"What?" Iyani wondered.

"Just wondering how he knows so much about you." Katashi informed. "You just met yesterday."

_Technically we met each other six years ago, but that's not your business._ Ritsu thought.

"She said it to me yesterday when I called her Sumeka-chan after she corrected me." He spoke quickly.

"It's not a big deal." She said. "Sorry if you thought it was more, but it's not."

_It is._

000

Ritsu lounged on his couch later that night, looking through pictures of butterflies on his computer. Iyani slopped down next to him. The couch was an "L" shape, so she sat on the smaller extended side.

"Butterflies?" She wondered.

He nodded. "So?" He asked.

"Just curious." She sighed. "It doesn't seem like something you'd be into." She folded up her legs Indian style.

"Butterflies are fascinating creatures." Ritsu said simply.

"They're pretty." She said. "I like painting them."

"Painting?" Ritsu looked at her. "Since when?"

"Since a year ago." She leaned back. "They thought art classes would help me turn my 'anger into passion'. It didn't, really."

"You still paint, though?" Ritsu wondered. "At least they gave you a hobby."

"I had a hobby."

"What?"

"Training with you." She turned her head to look at him. "But that went down the drains because I wasn't good enough."

"_We_ weren't good enough." He corrected her, sitting up. He set his laptop down on the coffee table. "You and I are a unit. And whether you, or me, or my father, or your parents, or our classmates like it, we are equally at fault for whatever happens concerning the two of us."

She rolled her eyes. "A sacrifice is only as good as their fighter is strong."

He snarled. "Don't quote him to me."

"You know it's true."

Not able to take her attitude any longer, Ritsu leaped over the couch and pinned her to it. Her neko ears flattened against her head in a show of fear and submission.

"You and I are one and the same. I'm as good as you, you are good as me. Careless. One name, one fate." He prattled on. "We. Are. One. Your success is my success. My success is yours. Your failure is my failure, my failure is yours. Our pain is one and the same. Two beings bound together by one. Simple. Word." He leaned closer to her, only a hair's breadth from her. "Don't put all the blame on yourself. Because the blame is mine as well. We are one…we are the same. Mirror images…one soul inhabiting two bodies."

Without even aware that he was doing it himself, Ritsu moved in and captured her lips in his. She was trembling against him, but whether that was out of anger or passion was unknown to him. He didn't really care at the moment. All that existed was himself, Iyani, and the spark that arose when their lips touched.

A few moments passed before Ritsu released her. "Gomen…Gomennasai." He spoke, out of breath.

He pushed himself away from her and exited the room, flushing darkly. What was wrong with him? Why did this girl have so much control over hm?


	7. Timeless

Dlbn: I'm back! Sorry it's been so long since I updated! I work nights and can't access their internet on my computer, so I can't update except on the days I'm home, but I'm almost always busy.

Nbld: No more excuses! Review Corner! Thank you to Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Here's a baby picture of Ritsu for you! *hands it to you*

Yoitemichaelis: He just can't help it XD Glad you enjoyed! Iyani's reaction will be interesting ;)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or any characters within in. I do own Iyani and the mystery Fighter that will appear later. I make NO money off of writing this fiction. it's just for fun.

000

It wasn't until later that night that Iyani came to Ritsu's room to see him. She didn't even knock, just opened the door. The male was lying on his stomach on his bed, his left arm hanging off the side.

"If you're here to beat me senseless, do it quick." He muttered, mouth muffled by the pillow under him.

She didn't say a word, but walked around to the left side of the bed and kneeled next to him. She folded her arms on the bed and rested her cheek on them.

"Are you done pitying yourself, Ritsu?" She asked. "Because it's getting real old real fast."

He smirked and turned away from her. "I'm pitying no one."

She grabbed his silvery hair between her fingers and yanked it so he was turned to her again. He rubbed his head and glared at her for a minute.

"Yes you are." She sang. "Whether you want to admit it or not, you are." A nod. "And it's kind of pathetic. Such a great man reduced to nothing more then a sniveling child."

He glared. "Such a great woman reduced to nothing more then a spoiled brat with a god complex."

She smirked. "So we _are_ alike then, you and I." She snorted. "We both pity ourselves and this situation. But pity isn't getting us anywhere, is it?"

"It's getting us nowhere but here, and quite frankly, here fucking sucks."

She chuckled. "Alone we are even more miserable. But together…"

"We had the power to take on the world."

She nodded. "I want to go back to those days." She said. "Redo it all and win everything back."

"Take on Septimal Moon."

She blinked. "What?"

"We could have done it. If we'd maximized our full potential and won. We could go on and become the next Septimal Moon."

"It's too late now."

"It's never too late for anything." He sat up, propping his head up on his hands. "It wasn't too late for us to reunite, was it? So why should it be too late for us to make a difference? Do something great?"

She stood slightly and leaned up more on the bed, closer to him. "What are you saying, Ritsu?"

"I'm saying…that we could do it."

"Do it?" She wondered. "I want to keep my ears…"

"Not that, baka." He flushed. "We go to school like we normally do. Nights and weekends, we retrain ourselves as a unit." He sat up on his knees, facing her. "We get the necessary people together and then we organize a master plan and go after _them_. The ones who cast us aside like useless scrap metal."

"Ritsu…"

He took her hands in his. "We'll over throw Septimal Moon."

The silence that rang in the room was deafening.

"Are you insane?" She chuckled, pulling back a little. "You know what you're proposing, correct? We couldn't even handle some cut-rate units. What makes you think…?"

"We were stupid kids back then." He said. "Now we're adults. We'll be as careful as possible. Overlook nothing. Not one little thing."

"But, Ritsu…being careless…it's our nature…our name…"

"Let's test the bounds." He said. "A name is just that. A name that binds two people together. Let's prove that you're not your name. Let's fight back and kick some ass." Then he spoke in a soft voice. "Are you with me?"

She blinked. "To the ends of the Earth, Ritsu."

He pulled her in and kissed her briefly again before letting her go. "Now we just need a plan…"

000

Apparently, forming plans wasn't high on Ritsu or Iyani's skill lists. They'd tossed anything and everything they could think of back and forth between the two of them, but to no avail. Everything seemed dumb, seemed like it would take a long time, or appeared pointless in the end. At school the next day, the two of them kept mostly to themselves. Though they sat with Ryuunosuke and Katashi at lunch, neither of the Careless unit spoke a word to them. It wasn't until dinner was over that night that they had the chance to discuss anything again.

"Every plan we come up with sucks." Iyani muttered, picking at her nails.

"We can't give up." Ritsu muttered back. "If we could at least find another unit to help us…"

"No one but us is dumb enough to go up against Septimal Moon, and you know it." Iyani snorted.

"There has to be someone that's been wronged by Septimal Moon enough to want revenge."

"We need a computer wiz." Iyani sighed. "To hack into Septimal Moon's computers and look up any enemies of the school…"

"Iyani, that's ingenious." Ritsu grinned. "But I don't know any. And it's not like you can find hackers in the yellow pages." His grin faded.

Iyani stopped picking her nails for a moment, thinking as she did so. "I don't know any off of the top of my head." She said, returning to picking her nails. "Septimal Moon would probably know some. Ironic, no? We need a hacker to get information about Septimal Moon, and we can't get a hacker without Septimal Moon." She chuckled. "Oh, the irony."

Ritsu rolled his eyes. "Not funny, Iyani." He sighed. "Hey, wait a minute…"

"What?"

"We have a classmate that's pretty good with computers. Nana Saotome."

"You think she'd help?"

"If we didn't tell her why we wanted the information, then maybe." He shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

Iyani sighed. "She's going to want to know why…"

"She doesn't need to." Ritsu suggested. "If she can get us into the mainframe, we can get the info ourselves."

"We'd need a hacker's touch to navigate the computer and find the information." Iyani pressed.

"Look, we'll just talk to Nana tomorrow and see if she'd be interested in hacking for us. She's always in the computer lab, so we can find her easily."

Iyani gave him a look. "So, just like that, we go up to her and say, 'hi, Nana-chan. We're two people you have nothing to do with, but we know you're good with computers, so we figure that means you can hack something pretty easily. Would you mind hacking into another computer for reasons that you don't need to know and helping us find information, but not ask any questions? Okay, thanks'." Iyani rolled her eyes. "Get real, Ritsu."

He snorted. "Don't be so rude about it, Iyani." He insisted. "If we talk to her calmly, she might be able to at least direct us to someone who _can_ help."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, Ritsu, but don't get your hopes up."

000

During lunch the next day, Iyani and Ritsu left Ryuunosuke and Katashi alone to do whatever it is they did when the Careless pair weren't there, and went to the computer lab to look for Saotome-chan. Ritsu nodded towards a light blue-haired girl in the back of the room. She was staring intently at the screen, her only movement being the moving mouse. Since she was the only one in the room, the lights were off and the screen emitted a light blue glow that covered her. Ritsu knew their shadows were stretching towards the girl, but in her focused state, he didn't think she noticed. With her hair pulled back tightly into a low braid, Ritsu could see the wire of her glasses that curled back behind her ears a little. Her neko ears and tail twitched.

"Who is it?" She muttered.

Her voice was soft, but he heard her loud and clear.

"Ritsu Minami." Ritsu informed. "And Iyani Sumeka."

"Hi." Iyani greeted with a slight wave that the other girl didn't see.

"If you need a computer, don't let me stop you." She didn't take her eyes off the screen. "But I do ask that you leave the lights off for me, please."

"We don't need computers." Iyani told her.

"Then why are you here? It's a computer lab. An occupied one, mind you, so if you're looking for private time…"

"We want to talk to you." Ritsu said simply.

He heard Nana sigh. "Make it quick, please, I'm very busy."

"What are you doing?" Iyani walked over, Ritsu following.

"Nothing you need to know about." She said quickly. Noticing their approach by the shadows on the wall, she minimized the tab she had been working on. "Make this quick. I have ten minutes before I lose all my progress."

"You're good with computers." Ritsu said. "And we need someone who is."

"For what?"

"First, can we trust you to not tell anyone about this?" Iyani asked.

"Of course." Nana's lilac colored eyes flickered to the fighter. "Now what is it? Quickly, please."

"We need a hacker." Ritsu said. "If you can't, or won't be able to do something like that, maybe you could direct us to someone who could?"

She cocked an eyebrow and looked at him, turning her chair slightly. "Depends on what it is you need done." She said. "It'll cost you if I send you somewhere else, and I'm not sure I can help you unless I know exactly what you need."

"I need to hack into a computer system to retrieve information, but you don't have to get the information, just get us in." Ritsu informed.

"I don't follow."

"Get us into the server, and we'll extract the data." Iyani translated.

"Without being caught?"

"We won't take much." Ritsu said.

Nana shook her head. "Even if you aim to only get one piece of information, it's easy to trip a security system while you're looking around in there." She informed, fixing her glasses. "You'll need a hacker that's experienced in data extraction to get it for you, unless you want the police knocking at your door."

"Told you." Iyani shot a glare at Ritsu, which he returned before looking at Nana. "Assuming it's you that ends up helping us, would you be willing to extract information from the computer you hack without asking what it is or what it's being used for?"

"The job of a hacker is to ask what needs to be done, not why it's being done." Nana informed her. "If we assume that I agree to do it myself, how much data are we looking for?"

"About as much as a ten minute power point presentation would be expected to hold." Ritsu offered.

Nana cocked a pale blue eyebrow.

"Words aren't his strong suit." Iyani informed her.

"So I see…" She nodded, turning back to her computer. "Turn around and let me finish, then we'll continue talking." She ordered.

Both of the Careless pair turned away, looking out the door at the empty hall instead of her.

"You think she'll do it?" Iyani whispered to Ritsu.

"She seems intrigued." He agreed. "But that doesn't necessarily mean anything."

She nodded in agreement. After a few moments, they heard Nana give a happy 'aha'.

"I'm done." She informed them.

They turned in time to see her close off the window she was working in and log off of the computer. She turned from the computer, swiveling the chair. She crossed her left leg over her right one and clasped her hands together over her knee. Her glasses sat on the edge of her nose, threatening to fall, but she didn't fix them. She tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear before clasping her hands together over her knee.

"So what is this that needs to be done?"

"We need you to break into another school's computer system."

She crinkled her nose, making her glasses jiggle a little. "This better not be for some prank against an enemy school."

"I thought a hacker's job was to ask what to do and not why they are doing it?" Iyani countered.

Nana gave her a look. "If it's a prank, I want no part in it."

"It's not a prank." Ritsu said. "I just need some information about the school is all."

"That's all we're telling you." Iyani spoke sternly, giving Ritsu a warning glance.

He shrugged. "Fine."

She cocked an eyebrow and fixed her glasses with one finger. "An interesting proposition." She said. "So too much information, but what it is, you can't tell me. How can I find what you want if you don't tell me what it is?"

"I can tell you what files it would be in on the school system, but that's it." Ritsu said. "It would be easy to get it once you're in the right folder."

"How are you so sure that you know what folder is the right one?" She seemed skeptical.

Ritsu started to speak, but Iyani beat him to it. "Classified." She said.

"What if it's the wrong folder?"

"There's only one it could be in." Ritsu pressed.

He knew his father's pathetic records keeping system better then anyone, since his father forced him to do paperwork as punishment for anything he did that wasn't right.

"What school is this?"

"Classified." Iyani said.

"Seven Voices Academy in Gora."

Iyani gave him a look. "You serious?" She wondered.

"Seven Voices?" Nana seemed to know the name. "Why would you want information from there? Septimal Moon won't take kindly to hackers…"

"Well, no, but…"

Iyani cut him off. "Did you just say 'Septimal Moon'?" She wondered. "How do you know about Septimal Moon?"

Ritsu blinked, having not caught it first. Iyani had good ears.

"How I know is not of any importance." Nana grunted. "Though I'm sure you could guess it."

"You're not a unit…are you?" Ritsu wondered. "I don't remember ever seeing your name…"

"Of course not." Nana said. "I was summoned to the school to attend it, full scholarship and everything, but my parents didn't want me going so far away, and said no." She explained. "I didn't know much about the school, but I felt like I needed to be there. You know? I talked them into letting me go in ninth grade, but I only stayed that year."

"Why?" Iyani wondered.

She sneered. "I failed." She said. "My fighter and I were kicked out of the school for not meeting the standards."

"You lost too many times to too many teams and got kicked out as a result." Ritsu said.

"Well, yes, but how did you know?"

"We were kicked out for the same reason." Iyani informed. "The bastard of a principal blamed me."

"Iyani." Ritsu scolded.

"Well, he _is_ a self-righteous, pompous ass…" Nana tapped a finger on her chin. "So why do you want information from the school? Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Yes we do." Ritsu said. "But we just need it."

"Why?"

"You're job isn't to know why." Iyani prodded.

Nana huffed, folding her arms and leaning back in her chair. "I'm not fond of Saichiru Minami or Septimal Moon, but I need a real reason to do this." She said. "My fighter and I are at risk if I get caught. As are you two." A moment's pause before she answered again. "Not that I'd rat you out, but if you were found out somehow, then you'd be in danger. They sign death warrants, you know."

"I'm well aware." Ritsu nodded. "Ashane-sensei's notorious for creating the most detailed death warrants and seeing them carried out straight through. She's a bit of a legend, considering that no one before her has done the job as well."

Iyani blinked. "She?" She asked. "A woman is that vital to the school, and your stupid father says that female fighters are useless? What in the world…?"

"Father?" Nana asked. "Saichiru Minami is your father?"

"Yes." Ritsu muttered.

"How can you not know?" Iyani asked. "They have the same last name."

"You do?" Nana wondered. "I've never heard…"

"School paperwork and everyone here know me as Ritsu Baikokudo." Ritsu muttered.

"Traitor, hm?" Iyani giggled. "It suits you, Ritsu. No wonder you don't have any friends here."

"Hey!"

Nana looked between them. "Fighter and sacrifice, I presume?" She wondered. She looked to Ritsu. "Sacrifice?"

"Yeah." Ritsu nodded. "Perhaps you've heard of us. Careless."

She shrugged. "It's been a while." She said. "I don't remember many people, much less you two."

"We're the worst pair the school's ever seen." Iyani said. "Never won a single battle."

"We're not the worst." Ritsu said. "We're still alive, at least."

"Yes, because living has gone so amazingly so far." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, shut up, you!" He ordered. "Anyway, she only went for a year, and we got kicked out two years ago because of how bad we sucked."

Nana held back a laugh, but Ritsu heard it.

"I was gone before you." Nana said. "So you started sucking two years ago? Then I definitely didn't know you." A chuckle.

"Anyway, are you going to help us or not?" Iyani wondered, fed up with talking about the embarrassing past she shared with Ritsu.

"I suppose." Nana tapped her chin with a finger. "What is it for? Tell me that, and I'll consider it."

"We want to know if Septimal Moon or the Academy has any enemies." Ritsu said.

"Why would you care? You have no ties to the organization or the school anymore."

"Our reasoning beyond that is our own." Iyani interjected before Ritsu could speak and say something he shouldn't.

Nana nodded. "Fair enough. Allow me to converse with my fighter on the issue. I need to decide if breaking into Septimal Moons' system is worth the risk."

"You're still in contact with your fighter, too?" Iyani asked.

"We exchanged cell phone numbers via email and kept in contact." Nana said. "He goes to a boarding school down the road. I'll see him after classes. For now, you two should go eat lunch. You have half an hour left."

"We already ate." Ritsu said. "You want something?"

"I'm set." She motioned to a bag of peanut M&Ms and an unopened soda on the table near the computer. "Arigato, though."

"Welcome." Ritsu nodded. "Iyani, let's go."

"Hai." She nodded once. "Thanks, Saotome-chan."

"Oh, please, call me Nana." She smiled before turning back to the computer.

As they began to leave, Iyani stopped for a moment. "What's your true name?" She asked.

"Timeless."

The answer was simple and final, so the Careless duo left the room.

"I think we have a shot at this." Ritsu said. "She doesn't seem to like Septimal Moon. Maybe she can help us more in the long run then just getting information."

"She's as bad a failure as us when it comes to fighting, apparently. I mean, she got kicked out for it. I really don't think…"

"Stop thinking, Iyani, it's not your strong suit." Ritsu ordered, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Sure thing, Mr. Baikokudo." Iyani smirked.

Ritsu shoved her away from him, laughing. "Stop it, dog." He ordered.

She glared and shoved him into a locker. "Not funny."


	8. Powerless

Dlbn: Hey, everyone! It's Tuesday, which means it's one of my update days!

Nbld: Since I'm off Monday, Tuesday, and Friday (though I get home at 7:30 AM on Mondays and Fridays), I figured I would make those my update days.

Dlbn: That's right! So those are the three days you can expect a new chapter to come out each week. It might change per week, depending on my daily schedule and the other fics I have to update, but it will happen.

Nbld: So anyway, let's move onto the Review Corner! Thank you to Yoitemichaelis and XxRin-sanxX for reviewing! Ritsu and Iyani shaped cookies for you both!

Yoitemichaelis: *Glomps back* Hey, they have to have some kind of history. After all, Ritsu is still in love with her ;) Glad you like! I thought the same thing. She needs more face time.

XxRin-sanxX: I'm too lazy to log in sometimes too XD Glad you liked :) Yeah, I know you meant Soubi ^^ Poor Soubi-san, though…T_T the story will go on and eventually reveal what made him flip ;)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Ritsu or any other canon characters, or Loveless. I own copies of the manga, but the series belongs to Yun Kouga. I'm just a lonely fanfic writer. I make NO money off of this. Iyani, Nan's fighter, Ritsu's dad, Hibiki, and the other potential allies of Careless and Timeless ARE mine, though. Except one of the possible allies, ut you'll recognize them when you see them ;)

000

After school was over, Iyani and Ritsu made their way back to the computer lab to find Nana. Sure enough, she was still at the computer she had been using earlier. The lights were still off, and she was still working. They didn't see anyone else, so they walked in; Iyani falling into step slightly behind her Sacrifice.

"Greetings, Timeless." Ritsu greeted her.

"Nana." She corrected. "But hello. Give me a moment. I'm busy."

"You always are." Iyani pointed out.

"Shush."

Neither of the Careless pair spoke until Nana gave a satisfied sigh and turned around to face them. "Now, I spoke with my Fighter. He should be here shortly."

They both nodded. A moment of silence passed.

"You two do realize what you're trying to accomplish, right?" Nana wondered, adjusting her glasses before popping another piece of candy into her mouth. "It's insane."

"We know." Ritsu said.

"We're willing to accept the possible consequences." Iyani added.

"So you're both insane as well?" She smirked. "Good. Only insane people would try an insane plan."

"And only insane people would help in said insane plan." A voice that was all too familiar spoke from behind them.

"Katashi?" Ritsu wondered, recognizing the dark eyes of his sort-of-friend.

"Why are you here…?" Iyani wondered.

Katashi looked over their heads. "Sorry I'm late, Nana." He greeted the blue haired hacker. "My class got held over."

"It's not my concern." She answered.

"Your fighter?" Iyani looked at Nana, then back to Katashi and laughed a little. "I'm sorry, but are you messing with us? We know him. He doesn't have a fighter's aura…"

"Systems disengage." Katashi spoke.

Iyani's neko ears twitched. "Never mind."

"Nice spell." Ritsu told him.

Katashi shrugged. "Thanks, Careless." He sat on the computer lab monitor's desk. "So go over this plan with me once again, if you will."

He wasn't talking like he normally did. He must have learned to change his way of speaking around other people. But since it was just his own sacrifice and a 'forcefully retired'-as Iyani and Ritsu preferred to call it-unit, it didn't really matter if he spoke like a fighter.

Ritsu quickly went through the plan. He didn't really need to hide anything from the fighter, considering that Iyani knew pretty much everything that Ritsu and Iyani had intended to keep secret.

Once he was finished, Katashi was cocking an eyebrow at him and giving him a glance that said he didn't believe what he'd just heard.

"So you want to break into Septimal Moon's computers to find people and units who are enemies of Septimal Moon, though you won't tell us why you need this information, and you need a good hacker to do it?" He wondered. He shot a look to Nana. "I still think it's crazy."

She stood, straightening the tan short-shorts she was wearing. Her feet were barefoot, but Ritsu noticed a set of sneakers under the computer table, right near her chair. In combination with the tank top she was wearing, her outfit didn't leave much to the imagination. Ritsu noticed the long coat draped over the back of the chair she had been sitting in. That must have been how she got around hall monitors and teachers with the outfit she wore. Ritsu noticed the 'Timeless' on her ankle. She wore a thin silver anklet over it, but it didn't hide the word from Ritsu's eyes. Or anyone else's, if they looked in that direction. He'd assume that Hibiki wouldn't be looking down there, but rather at her chest, but she was…lacking…there, so his attention probably wouldn't have been drawn.

She looked down at her ankle, sticking her long leg out in front of her. "Oh, you see my name." She stated, then looked up. "Where is yours?"

Ritsu scratched at the bandages on the small of his back. "Iyani, mind showing her?"

Iyani gave him a look, but sighed and turned her back to Nana. She lifted up her shirt, and even Ritsu snuck a peek. Written across her lower back like a so-called tramp-stamp, was "Careless" in big, blocky, black lettering. Her muscles were taught as he held her shirt so that the name was visible. She caught Ritsu looking and hastily pulled her shirt down.

She glared at him. "You have the same thing." She informed. "Look at your own."

Ritsu flushed, green eyes going a little dark. "Embarrassing." He muttered.

Katashi laughed. "At least mine and Nana's is in a place that doesn't make us look like tramps."

Not finding the joke to be funny, Nana frowned at him. "Not funny." She informed.

"Hai, Nana." He said. "Gomennasai, Careless-san."

"It's fine." Ritsu said. "We know it's in a horrible spot. I'd change it if I could."

Iyani nodded. "Agreed." She said. "But we're off topic."

Nana cleared her throat and adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses. "Yes, I suppose we are." She looked at Katashi. "Your final thought?"

"It's crazy." He answered. "But, revenge against Septimal Moon isn't necessarily a bad thing." He shrugged at her. "I'm in for it, if you're on board."

She nodded once, her hand holding her chin and index finger covering her mouth. Her eyes gleamed with something Ritsu had only seen once or twice before; in Iyani's eyes. Complete and utter determination.

"I'm in." Nana nodded. "On one condition."

Careless shared a look.

"What?" Ritsu wondered.

"If I do this for the two of you, you need to tell me what you plan on doing with the information."

"I thought the…"

"Job of a hacker is to know what and not why." Nana nodded. "It is. But I'm intrigued. You're looking for Septimal Moon's enemies, and you have a grudge against your father for kicking you out." She looked to Katashi. "Ritsu's real last name is Minami."

Katashi nodded. "As in Saichiru?"

"My father." Ritsu nodded.

Katashi looked to the ground. A moment passed before he muttered. "The bastard is your…?"

"Not the point." Nana said. "So I think you two have a specific reasoning for needing this information. You're not going to try and help them out by taking down enemies, I can tell that from the way your voices crack with flares of anger when you mention them or the school. You're planning something." She gave them a scrutinizing look. "So what is it?"

Ritsu and Iyani looked at one another. "Give us a moment." Ritsu said, ushering his fighter out into the hall.

"Should we explain?" Ritsu wondered. "I know we agreed not to, but they seem to hate Septimal Moon as well. Perhaps we've found some allies for the completed plan…"

"We don't have a complete plan yet." Iyani shook her head. "But either way, I'm not sure it's worth the risk, to be honest. Suppose they're a regular unit and are going to tell Septimal Moon everything."

"I can sense the utter irritation in her voice when she mentions them. In his, as well." Ritsu informed. "I know you can, too."

"It could be faked."

"Use a truth spell or something. If one exists."

"And lose any slim trust they've formed with us?" Iyani wondered. "No way." She shook her head. "I don't think we should tell them, but I don't want our paranoia to be the reason we don't get a hacker to get the information."

"I agree." Ritsu nodded. "I'm 90 percent sure we can trust them enough to tell them what's going on. What we're planning."

"Whatever you decide, Ritsu, I'm with you one hundred percent." She nodded once.

He sighed. "Let's do it. What's the worst it could do?"

"Point." She nodded. "Alright, so go ahead and tell them."

He nodded and they entered the room together. Iyani shut the door behind them and locked it. Ritsu sat on one of the computer tables.

"We're going to take over Septimal Moon." He said.

His words hung heavily in the air. No one spoke for a few moments. A few moments turned into heated stares between Nana and Katashi, and hopeful glances between Iyani and Ritsu. About five minutes passed before Nana spoke.

"Are you serious?" She wondered, adjusting her glasses. "You want to take down and take over Septimal Moon?"

"Yes."

Another long pause. "As the son of Saichiru-yarou, you should know that overthrowing Septimal Moon has been attempted several times in the past few generations, and the only successful attempt was by your father, himself. Correct?"

"Hai." Ritsu nodded.

"And you're also aware that you were kicked out of the Academy because you didn't hold up as a unit, correct?"

"Neither did you." Iyani snorted.

"Hai." Ritsu said, giving Iyani a look.

She put her hands up in an 'I meant no harm' manner

"So you understand that this is foolish?"

Ritsu hesitated to answer. "Hai."

"But yet you're still going to do it?" Nana tapped her chin with a finger. "You see how this doesn't add up?"

"Look, we know it's stupid." Iyani hopped into the sacrifices' conversation. "But we want revenge. And to prevent any other units from being thrown out like we were."

The look on Nana's face changed drastically. It went from incredulous to complete and utter surprise, and maybe a little respect. Katashi schooled his features better then his sacrifice, but there was a fire in his eyes.

"U-Understandable." Nana rubbed at the back of her neck. "And you plan on doing this alone…?"

"Well…we were hoping that finding enemies of the school and the organization would mean that we'd find people willing to help us…" Ritsu said. "So, no, we're not planning on working on our own. That's just stupid. Seven units against one? I don't think so."

Nana cocked an eyebrow. "Let us converse." She said to Katashi.

She grabbed her coat and shrugged it on, the bottom of it swiping the floor, and opened the door; walking out into the hall. Katashi followed her. He shut the door behind him. Ritsu and Iyani shared a look.

"Do you think they'll be on board?" Iyani wondered.

"I really hope so." Ritsu agreed.

The door opened and the Timeless pair came back in, shutting the door behind them.

"We're in." Nana informed, shedding her coat. "On one condition."

Iyani and Ritsu shared a look. Ritsu looked at Nana. "What is it?"

"Our involvement does not stop once the information is extracted."

"I don't follow…"

"Once we get the information for you, we want to be of further assistance." Katashi went on. He looked at Iyani. "How do you deal with him?"

She shrugged. "It's not easy."

Ritsu gave her a look, to which she stuck out her tongue at him.

"I don't see a problem with that." Ritsu brought attention back to the issue at hand. "We were hoping you'd want to ally with us."

Katashi looked at Iyani. "Seriously?"

"The word is 'align', Ritsu." Iyani corrected. "I'm, so glad _I'm_ the fighter. Even if it discriminates against me…"

"How so?" Nana wondered.

"Saichiru says that female fighters are weaker then males." Iyani muttered. "He's a chauvinistic moron…"

"I agree." Nana nodded. "What does what's between one's legs or on one's chest have to do with whether or not they were a good fighter?"

Ritsu was glad he hadn't been drinking anything, or he would have spit it out all over her for that comment.

"I don't know either." Iyani shook her head. She looked to Ritsu. "I hate to bring up bad memories, but how did your mother tolerate his attitude?"

Ritsu shrugged. "I don't remember much of her, sorry."

"Why not?" Katashi wondered. "If you don't mind my inquiry…"

"She died when I was four." Ritsu informed.

"I'm sorry." Nana whispered, looking at the floor.

"Don't apologize." Ritsu rubbed the back of his neck. "But a change of topic." He looked at Iyani. "We don't exactly have a plan of how to go at this. Other then finding allies for us."

Nana nodded. "I was afraid that this would be the case." She said. "From what I've heard from people paired with you in classes, you're not much of a 'think of a plan first' person."

"I'm careless, I know."

Iyani rolled her eyes. "Ba dum, bum."  
"Such a way with words." Katashi rolled his eyes.

The school bell rang, signaling that it was the last few minutes to catch the bus before students had to take the late bus. Since Iyani and Ritsu walked home, it wasn't a big deal. They were close enough.

"Damn. I'm going to miss my bus again." Nana muttered. She grabbed her bag from her seat and put in what was left on the table that belonged to her. She shoved all her things into it quickly, turning to leave the room as she spoke. "If I'm late coming home again, my parents are going to ground me. I gotta go. Bye Katashi. Careless." She fled the room before anyone could say another word to her.

Iyani and Ritsu shared a look with Katashi.

"I…guess we'll discuss this more tomorrow?" The Timeless fighter offered.

"Sounds like a plan." Ritsu agreed.

"See you." Katashi opened the door and walked out, hands in his pockets.

"We should go too." Iyani informed. "So we don't run into pretty boy and his flock again."

"You really don't like him, hm?" Ritsu gestured to the door.

She left, Ritsu in tow. "What was your first clue?" She asked. "You don't like him either."

"Of course not. He's a stuck up prick…"

"Agreed." Iyani nodded. "And a playboy. Man-whore, even."

Ritsu had to laugh at that. "I won't argue with you on that." He said.

"Maybe he has all the girls because he's compensating for something." Iyani laughed.

"Or it's all a cover."

A moment passed before both burst into laughter.

"Who's covering for what now?" Hibiki's voice carried through the empty hallway.

Careless turned to see him, and two of his girls flanking his sides, walking down the hall. The girls' heels clicked eagerly on the floor, though neither looked too pleased to see Iyani or Ritsu.

"You are." Iyani said. "For the obvious."

"The obvious?" Hibiki looked a little startled. Maybe he really was hiding some secret behind the mask he seemed to wear all the time.

"Why would one guy need so many girls around him?" Iyani wondered. "To protect his masculinity, perhaps?"

Hibiki's cheeks flared red. "Perhaps I just prefer the company of the fairer sex." He winked.

Iyani gagged. "Gross." She said.

"Come on, let's get going."

000

During lunch the following day, Iyani and Ritsu joined Katashi and Nana in the computer lab. The Timeless sacrifice was already there when they arrived, working on the computer in the dark. It didn't seem like anyone used the computer lab, considering it was vacant except for Nana the three times Careless had gone to see her. It was probably a good thing, however, considering what they wanted to talk about.

"Greetings." Katashi addressed Nana.

"Hi." She responded, not looking up from the computer. "Come here."

The three of them walked over and surrounded her to see what was on the screen. Ritsu recognized it immediately.

"Septimal Moon's records?" He wondered, surprised.

She'd been working on it already?

"Of course." Nana answered. "Why wouldn't I? I promised I would, didn't I?"

"Do you even go to class?" Iyani wondered.

Nana ignored her. "I'm almost done. Surprisingly, Septimal Moon doesn't have a lot of enemies."

Ritsu felt his heart collapse. "Seriously?" He wondered.

"They're all in this one folder, you said?"

"It's number five's records." Ritsu said. "All people meant to be either captured and/or executed, or that have caused a problem for Septimal Moon and/or Seven Voices Academy. The people she's either going to execute or gather more information on before executing." He went on. "I doubt there's anywhere else that information like this would be listed."

Nana nodded. "Well, if you're sure, I can provide a list of five units that have problems with Septimal Moon. One doesn't have a fighter."

Ritsu nodded. 'Something that can be dealt with when the time comes." He nodded. "Do you have any printouts of information or something?"

Nana reached into her backpack without looking and grabbed some papers. She thrust them at Ritsu, which he caught before they fell. He flipped through the files.

"Sagan Nagisa, age 14, no fighter, Powerless." He read the first.

"That doesn't seem very convincing…" Iyani offered.

Ritsu ignored her. "Kunugi Asitai, age 18. Shenai Mirai, age 16. Calmless."

"Helpful." Iyani rolled her eyes.

"Kaido Siren, age 16. Ren Aido, age 20. Dreamless."

Nana and Katashi shared a look.

"Aoyagi Aidien, age 17. Sura Kofai, age 17. Copeless."

"What's up with these names?" Iyani wondered crinkling her nose. "I'm not sure some of them are even Japanese…or any other language…"

"And last, Gomon Otorai, age 16. Resin Miya, age 16. Dayless."

"Vampires now?" Iyani wondered, making Nana and Katashi chuckle a bit.

Ritsu gave her a look. "Not funny, Iyani."

"What?" She wondered. "If these people are as true to their names as they're meant to be, we're screwed over." She said. "We might as well not _have_ any allies."

"We need all the help we can get." Nana fixed her glasses. "Besides, Katashi and I are 'Timeless', having no concept of time, but you trust us enough to ask for our help."

"For _your_ help." Katashi corrected. "I'm just part of the exclusive Nana Saotome package."

She rolled her lilac eyes at him. "Whatever. No point in arguing over semantics now."

"So where do we start?" Nana wondered trying to relieve some tension. "I can get addresses on these people, if you want to show up at their house like stalkers."

"And completely freak them out before we get the chance to explain ourselves?" Ritsu wondered, shaking his head. "No way."

"Any other information they have, Nana?" Katashi asked.

"Not that I know of." Nana clicked away at the keyboard, looking for more data. "I know what schools they all go to. They're mostly in the area, but Aoyagi is out in Kyoto."

"Maybe we should deal with Aoyagi last. Since he's so far away?" Iyani offered. She tapped a finger to her chin in through. "Or first because he's only one person…"

"Last." Ritsu said. "If we go around Tokyo for the others, then we can deal with three units at a time."

"Together, we make two complete units." Nana informed, adjusting her glasses. "We can only take care of two units at a time without splitting us up somehow to make a third group."

"So who do we deal with alone?"

"Probably that Nagisa girl." Katashi said. "She has no fighter, after all, and would probably take the most energy to deal with…"

"What makes you say that?" Nana wondered.

"She's the youngest, and has no fighter to defend her. I if were her, I'd be very wary of other people, especially other complete units."

"Do we know why these people are Septimal Moon's enemies?" Iyani wondered suddenly. "If we know why, maybe we can get her to talk to us easier…"

"It's going to look suspicious." Nana said. "Four teenagers our age talking to a little fourteen year old that none of us bear any resemblance to?"

"How do you know what she looks like?" Iyani cocked an eyebrow.

Nana handed her another folder. "Here."

Iyani opened it. The first file was a picture labeled 'Nagisa Sagan'. She had blue-green hair in pigtails to her shoulders and frighteningly cold mauve eyes.

"Creepy kid." Iyani muttered.

She continued looking through the files.

"I thought so too." Katashi agreed. "She looks like she could kill. Maybe Powerless isn't the right name for her…"

"Some names are ironic…" Ritsu commented.

Nana rolled her eyes. "Not enough of them, I assure you." She sighed. "So should we start with Nagisa-chan first? Since she'd be the most work…"

"Agreed." Ritsu nodded. "But how do we talk to a fourteen year old without arousing suspicions?"

000

Once Friday came around, Ritsu and the others had formed a plan to talk to the young girl alone. It was simple, really. They would just introduce themselves as units and hope she didn't scream. Finding her wouldn't prove to be difficult. They knew the school she went to, and therefore knew an approximate area of where she lived. Careless and Timeless skipped the last four periods of school to get to where she was and try to talk to her. The elementary schools got out earlier then the high schools did, so they didn't have long to wait. Ritsu stood, leaning on the brick wall surrounding Johansson Middle school, wearing a hoodie that was covering his eyes. Iyani was dressed a little more sensibly. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and the hood of her hoodie was down as well. Nana wore her long, signature coat to hide her revealing clothing underneath, and Katashi just dressed like he did every day. A few adults going into the school to pick up children eyed them warily.

"We look like perverts…" Ritsu muttered, closing his hood tighter around him.

"Especially you." Iyani said. "Ditch the hood."

Ritsu glared but slowly took his hood off. The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day for the students. A few moments later, rapidly moving footsteps resounded through the area. It sounded like only one child was running. A little girl that looked like Nagisa ran out through the front entrance and stood to the side of it, hiding.

"Hide your auras!" She hissed an order. "I could sense you from the other side of the building."

"How did you get here that quickly from the other side of the building?" Ritsu wondered.

"I was over there an hour ago for another class. Now hide your auras!"

Iyani shrugged and powered down, feeling Katashi do the same. Her ears stopped ringing.

"Good." The girl said. "I'm Nagisa. Who are you?"

"I'm Ritsu Minami. This is my fighter, Iyani." Ritsu greeted.

"We're Careless." Iyani added.

"And I'm Nana Saotome." Nana answered. "My fighter, Katashi."

"Timeless."

"Nagisa Sagan. Powerless. I have no fighter, so if you want to fight…"

"We just want to talk." Ritsu held up a hand. "We know you have a grudge against Septimal Moon."

Nagisa looked around the corner of the wall. "Who doesn't?"

"We're hoping we could get your assistance." Iyani said.

"You're Saichiru Minami's son, his fighter, and two other castaways from the Academy. And probably much older then me." Nagisa said. "What in the world could you need?"

"17." Ritsu corrected. "Not too much older…"

"Not answering my question." She glared over at him.

"Are you hiding from someone?" Iyani wondered, following the girl's gaze as it returned to the schoolyard.

"School bully. I owe her money."

Ritsu chuckled. He remembered those days. "We want to take on Septimal Moon." He said.  
Nagisa gave a short laugh before looking at him. "Oh, you're serious." She deadpanned. "I'm not interested."

"Why do you hate Septimal Moon?" Iyani wondered.

"Iyani!" Ritsu hissed between clenched teeth.

"I have no fighter." Nagisa said.

"That's their fault?"

She glared. "They ordered the death of my little sister because she wanted out." She informed. "I would never forgive myself if I forgave them for that."

"I'm sorry…" Nana offered. "Wait…your sister was your fighter?"

"Yes."

"That's uncommon…" Katashi said.

"Well, aren't you a scholar."

"Look, I'll be blunt." Ritsu said. "We're looking for enemies of Septimal Moon that would be willing to help us take them down…"

"I'm in."

"But…wait, what?"

"You heard me. I'm _in_." Nagisa said. "Just tell me where to meet you and what the plan is."

"We don't have a plan yet."

Her face fell. "Oh…I suppose I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up…" She glared. "Look, you're going to need a good strategy! An entrance, a fight, an exit should something go bad, and an exit if everything works out fine. I'm no strategist, but you may be able to find one in Septimal Moon's enemies. After all, there are many people in the fighting world with unique talents."

Nana smirked. "Like my hacking and computer programming."

Nagisa looked at her. "A good thing to have in my back pocket." She smiled and giggled before schooling her features. She pulled a pen from her pocket and took Ritsu's hand. She scribbled on it before putting the pen away. "I have to go before she finds me. Call or text me on that number after 7 PM. No earlier." She ran off down the road.

"Well…that was easy…" Ritsu said.

"We shouldn't complain." Nana told him.

"He sounds like he's complaining, but trust me. He's not." Iyani shrugged.

"Let's get going. We can find someone else tomorrow, and we'll look more suspicious the longer we wait here." Ritsu said. "Regroup tomorrow at our place at one, alright?"

Nana and Katashi nodded. "A plan." They said at once.

The four said their goodbyes and parted ways.


	9. Hopeless

Dlbn: Hey everyone, I'm back! I went to update the other day and I was like "oh, cap I didn't finish the newest chapter!" so I got to work and now I bring you this chapter!

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to Wow for reviewing! Candy for you *gives candy*

Wow: Aw thank you. Glad you like it :3

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Ritsu, Nana, or any other known characters from Loveless. They belong to Yun Kouga. However, I DO own Iyani, Katashi, and any non canon names you see here. (Aoyagi Aidien doesn't count since he does appear in the manga, but is nameless). I amek NO money off of writing in this category.

000

It was about noon when the doorbell to Ritsu's apartment rang. He opened the door to find Nagisa standing behind it, twirling her hair around her fingers. She looked different then the day before; less skittish. The lack of a school uniform was a plus as well, Ritsu noted with a smile.

"You're early." He said. "Timeless isn't here yet."

"I much more prefer to be early then late." She responded. "Are you going to let me in, or keep me waiting?"

Iyani glared at the younger girl over her book, not happy with how she was addressing her sacrifice.

Ritsu stood to the side and held the door. "Come in."

Nagisa walked in past him and flopped down on the couch. She sat on the end of it, one leg crossed over the other, and laced her fingers over her knee. "When do they plan on getting here?"

"Not for another hour." Iyani informed, peering at the girl over her book. "We said one yesterday before we split, remember?"

Nagisa shrugged. "I was bored." She pulled her hands from her knee and started to pick at her nails. "Maybe they'll be early too."

Ritsu started to speak. "I doubt…"

Before he could speak, the doorbell shrieked in protest of his words.

"If that's them, I'm shitting a brick." Iyani warned.

Ritsu rolled his eyes and went to the door. When he opened it, Nana and Katashi were on the other side.  
"Commence with the brick shitting, Iyani." Ritsu called over his shoulder, before turning back to the confused unit. "Don't worry about it." He told them. "Come in. Any trouble getting here?"

"It's not that hard." Nagisa muttered from the couch. She smiled prettily at Ritsu when he gave her a look, but the smile quickly faded as she became aware of Iyani glaring at her for a third time.

"So let's get down to business." Nana ordered. "My parents want me back at four, and I can't disappoint."

"We won't take that long anyway." Ritsu shook his head.

Nagisa rolled her eyes. "A good strategy takes time to develop. Four hours is not enough." She told them. "We don't even have software to do a test run with…"

Nana flushed and held up the computer case on her shoulder. "I possess the software necessary to recreate a complete scenario. It just won't be able to count for spells."

Nagisa pursed her lips and cocked an eyebrow. "Impressive…"

Nana nodded and sat down on a loveseat, Katashi following her lead and sitting next to her.

"Before we figure out a plan to take down Septimal Moon, we should probably figure out how to get the other three to join us." Iyani said.

"They might need more convincing then I did." Nagisa said. "I'm desperate for revenge, but these people may want to lay low. They'll probably want to know that we have a solid plan before joining the group."

"But if we make a plan now, we'll only be accounting for our three un…the five of us. We've got six other people to bring into the equation." Iyani pointed out. "What will work for us won't work for them. And you know it."

Nagisa rolled her eyes. "Ritsu, shut your fighter up, would you?"

"Stop it, you two." Ritsu ordered, then gave Nagisa a look. "Did you just call me 'Ritsu'…?"

"Not important." Nana interjected. She sat down and took out her laptop. "We can factor them in later. No need in worrying about them now when we don't know if they're going to join us or not." She began typing at the computer, her fingers flying over the keyboard as if her life itself depended on it.

Ritsu sat down with Iyani to await Nana's results. Katashi tried interrupting her a few times to give her some information, but she shushed him and fixed him with a death glare, her fingers never ceasing their movement in the meantime. It only took about ten minutes for her to finish one of her programs.

"All done."

Make that all of them.

"How many simulations did you make?" Nagisa wondered, peering at the laptop screen.

"Six." Nana said, leaning back in the seat to make herself more comfortable.

"So what do we have?" Ritsu asked.

He and Iyani moved to the edge of the seat they were on in order to see the screen better. With Nana and Katashi sitting on the center piece of furniture, it wasn't hard for the others to see the screen.

"Our first scenario is if we go up against Septimal Moon directly, with the group we have now. In other words, just the five of us against Septimal Moon." Nana pressed a button on her computer to being the simulation.

What resembled a low-level battle took place on the screen. When it ended with the word 'complete' written in big, bold, white lettering, there was a damage calculation on the top. Septimal Moon's side only dropped about ten in damage, while only the two complete units were alive on Ritsu's side.

"That's phase one." Nana clicked again. "I have it set to run through the phases until each side is done. I just wanted to have the pause between the first two in order to explain it much easier to you."

The simulation ended again in a matter of minutes. Septimal Moon was still only minus about thirty in damage, but Katashi and Nana had fallen; leaving Ritsu and Iyani alone. The simulation ran one more time through. This time, Septimal Moon was down one unknown member, but Ritsu's side was vaporized. Ritsu cursed under his breath.

"This next simulation is with the others included." Nana said. She started the simulation.

Once all the phases ended, there was one person standing on Ritsu's side, and Septimal Moon's side had two members.

"So even with the others, our chances are low?" Iyani wondered, her ears flattening against her head.

"No, that's not it." Nana said. "I can't account for what we do with spells. But this is going by strength." She handed Iyani a packet of print-outs. "This is information I gathered during my hacking, about the members of Septimal Moon. I had assumed that neither of you had the foresight to think about this?"

"We weren't sure you were going to help, let alone that you'd get more information for us besides a list of names." Ritsu defended his and Iyani's thought processes.

"Or you just didn't think of it because…you're careless." Nagisa giggled, stifling it with the back of her right hand.

No one laughed with her, so she stopped after a moment and folded her arms, huffing in annoyance.

"But those were us taking on Septimal Moon as an entire unit, including their fighters." Nana went on. "We could catch them by surprise as units, or alone. Depending on how good our planning is, we might be able to take them down individually."

"Though after the first couple of deaths, they'll begin to become suspicious and band together." Nagisa said. "They did that once when there was a threat of their deaths a few years back."

"Death threats?" Ritsu wondered. "I remember it happened when Iyani and I were still students, but I didn't think there was anything recently."

"What make you think I'm talking about recent? I very well may be talking about the incident _you_ remember." She glared at him.

"You weren't around then, I wouldn't think. Too young."

Her glare deepened. "Ugh, whatever." She huffed. "It was part of our orientation at the school to learn that even jokingly, death threats against Septimal Moon will not be tolerated, and will be dealt with 'swiftly, and sufficiently', and will do enough damage that all others who would dare go against Septimal Moon or any member or unit incased therein would be sufficiently discouraged for attempting something so outlandish and stupid." She was obviously quoting something she'd heard.

"That sounds like something my father would say…" Ritsu spoke after a moment.

"Indeed." Nagisa nodded. "So you see why I said you need a proper plan?"

"According to these simulations, we don't stand a chance anyway." Iyani sounded dejected.

"You only saw two scenarios." Nana objected. "With them against Septimal Moon as a whole, and one without them against Septimal Moon as a whole. We have with them and Septimal Moon as solo units, and without them and Septimal Moon as solo units."

"Run them." Nana ordered.

"Suggesting we go from the weakest powered to the strongest, these are the simulations." Nana started the first simulation. "With us the way we are. No other help."

The simulation ran through. They made it to number four before they were entirely wiped out.

"So we survive three units." Iyani said. "Run the next."

"With them and Septimal Moon as separate units." Nana informed.

When the next simulation ended, they made it up to Ritsu's father before they were all killed off.

"So we're still at a loss." Ritsu said. "Power-wise."

"And with our track record of loses…?" Iyani asked. She shook her head. "Not good."

"Nana, can you set up simulations with just the members of Septimal Moon, not fighters?" Nagisa wondered.

"Why no fighters?" Ritsu wondered.

"If a Sacrifice dies, their fighter has to, without a doubt, die as well." Katashi said. "We're expendable. Sacrifices, however, can live on without a fighter. As in the case of Nagisa here. And, if I'm not mistaken, your father, Ritsu?"

"Yeah, dad's on his own."

"What happened to his Fighter?" Nagisa wondered.

"My mother was murdered in cold blood during a bank robbery." Ritsu said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that!" Nagisa's hands flew to her mouth. "Was your mom just using the bank, or was she a teller?"

"Teller. She didn't give him the money fast enough." Ritsu shook off images playing through his head. "I don't want to discuss it anymore, if you don't mind."

"Alright, we'll drop ti then." Nagisa said. "Sorry for your loss."

"Thanks."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Iyani stood, putting her hands on her hips. "If your mother was your father's Fighter, then he had a _female_ Fighter! Why does he give me so much crap about being a _girl_?!"

Ritsu shrugged. "I guess he figured that my mom couldn't use her spells to protect herself, so that made her useless. Or he's turned gay and we all have no idea."

Nana covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed a little. "I shouldn't be laughing, but the implications are too funny."

Ritsu rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, the simulations are complete. Us as we are now vs. Sacrifices only."

The simulation ran though and ended with them all losing to Saichiru again.

"Damn it." Ritsu cursed.

"Not so fast. We have to run a simulation involving the others as well." Nana informed, pressing a button.

When the simulation ended, Ritsu's side was complete, but Septimal Moon had fallen.

"So we _can_ win if we separate Fighters and Sacrifices, but we need the others in order for us all to survive?"

"Precisely." Nana nodded.

"So who do we take down first? Fighters or sacrifices?" Ritsu questioned.

"If we take out the sacrifices, the fighters will most likely commit suicide or retire, so they won't be an issue anymore." Nagisa said. "That's why I said to eliminate the Fighters from the equation. We isolate and take down the Sacrifices and the Fighters take care of themselves." She rolled her eyes. "Don't you listen?"

Ritsu glared. "Fine, fine."

"We should find a way to track these people down." Katashi suggested. "Nana, can you find them?"

"Sure, I can hack something and find the information."

"So we need Kunugi Asitai and Shenai Mirai of Calmless, Kaido Siren and Ren Aido of Dreamless, Aoyagi Aidien and Sura Kofai of Copeless, and Gomon Otorai and Resin Miya of Dayless." Ritsu stated. "Who do we go after first?"

"Who's closest? I thought the others were in Tokyo, but I think I was wrong."

"Aoyagi and Sura are out in Kyoto, Gomon and Resin are in Yokohama, Kunugi and Shenai are in the Kanto region, and Kaido and Ren are out in Hachijō."

"Copeless it is." Nana and Nagisa spoke at once.

Iyani giggled, hiding it behind her hand. "When we go, we just have to steer clear of my family. They won't be too happy to see me, let alone Ritsu. They still blame him for getting me kicked out, though we got ourselves kicked out as a unit."

"But then again, they're not Fighters or Sacrifices, so they have no way of knowing about this."

"Someone in your family must know." Nagisa stated. "I mean, last I checked, this was all passed down by family."

Iyani shrugged. "Someone else, but not my parents, must have it. One of my grandparents, maybe."

"For you to get it, it would have to come from your parents' blood. So yes, your grandparents. Can't you ask?"

"Deceased."

"Sorry…"

Iyani shrugged. "We were never really that close to begin with. I don't think we went to any of the funerals."

"I wonder if you actually knew these guys, Iyani."

Iyani shook her head. "The names aren't familiar."

"Ritsu, hand me the file for Copeless." Nana ordered, holding out her hand to the teen. "I want to see where we could find them. Kyoto isn't exactly a small place."

Ritsu handed her the folder, which she flipped through.

"Hm…they both go to Sakura private academy…and it would appear as though they frequent a small café in Tokyo. Must be where they meet up where no one will see and ask questions." She prattled on. "Oh…it appears as though Aoyagi has a love interest…perhaps they meet in Tokyo so he can be close to her."

"She probably goes to school with him. How else would he have met her?"

"She could be a transfer, but that's not the issue here. We could use the interest he has in her to our advantage."

"How so?" Nagisa wondered.

"If I was able to get the information about him being interested in her from Septimal Moon computers, then they know about her. They could go after her at any time to try to make sure he stays in line." Nana explained. "But if he was to join us and help us take them down, then we'd be the new Septimal Moon and he could keep her safe."

"Makes sense." Ritsu nodded. "So what do we do? Try and head them off when they get out of school? Or wait for them by the café?"

"Staking out the café could take forever." Nagisa complained. "We should go directly to the school. It's how you guys found me."

"She has a point." Katashi informed. "Honestly, we'd blend in there better then we did at her school, so it might be easier to talk to them without rousing suspicion."

"Point made." Nana nodded. "When do we make our move?"

"I'm off next Friday." Nagisa stated. "I'm not sure how long you want to wait."

"The sooner the better, but I get where you're coming from." Ritsu told the youngest of the group. "We're out early that day, too."

"So it's settled. Next Friday, we meet at noon." Nana informed. "The Tokyo express line train station, alright? Near the gate for Kyoto. I'll handle getting us tickets."

"Sounds like a done deal." Nagisa nodded and stood. "If that's all, then I have to go. I promised mother I'd help her out."

"With what?"

"Tomorrow is the anniversary of my sister's death." Nagisa's voice was low as she straightened out her skirt, bowed, and left the apartment.

No one said a word for a few moments, letting silence pass through them.

"Should we get her a card or something?" Iyani wondered.

"I think it's just best to let it be." Nana packed up her computer. "I should really get going, too. Katashi, would you mind walking me home?"

"Not at all." Katashi stood with her. "See you guys in school Monday."

"Yeah, later." Ritsu agreed.

"Get some rest." Iyani ordered. "Something tells me we are going to need it."

Katashi and Nana nodded. The four bid their farewells before the timeless pair left the apartment. Ritsu sighed.

"Do you think we're in over our heads, Iyani?" He wondered.

"There's no going back now, even if we are, Ritsu." Iyani shook her head. "I know it seems pointless and hopeless, but Katashi and Nana and Nagisa? They don't care that it's hopeless and that it's too much for us to handle. I don't know if you pick up on it or even see it, but there's determination and hope in their eyes. We're going to win, somehow, Ritsu. I know it, and the three of them know it. It's just nice if our leader knew it too."

"Leader?"

"We're following _you_, Ritsu." Iyani smiled. "You're the leader here, even if Nagisa or Nana take charge at times. We're all following you. This was your idea, and we decided that we'd stick with it, stick with you, until the very end. So don't worry about it. Even if we're in over our heads, we'll manage to survive."

He smiled softly. "That means a lot, Iyani. Thank you for the pep talk."

She laughed. "It sounds lame when you say it that way, jerk." She punched him in the shoulder.

He rubbed the sore area where she had hit him. "Was that necessary?"

"Yes." She nodded once.

He smirked and leaned over to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Was _that_ necessary?" She wondered, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

"Yes."

For the second time in a row, she hit him.

Ritsu fought back a yawn as his Chemistry teacher prattled on about balancing formulas. At his side, Iyani doodled in her notebook to keep from falling asleep. Neither of them really cared much for the subject of chemistry, especially with what they were planning on doing in a couple weeks' time. Ritsu had racked his brain for any plans he could come up with to get Copeless to join their side. He had read over the file Nana had left with him about the unit a good dozen times for information that might be useful. But, unfortunately, he couldn't find anything more then the girl Aoyagi supposedly had feelings for. But that would mean nothing if Aoyagi was the Fighter. It would only be good if he was the Sacrifice, because then he could persuade or order his Fighter to go along with it. But if he was a Fighter, he couldn't exactly force his Sacrifice into anything. There wasn't much in there about Sura other then the fact that his family owned a large pharmaceutical company in Kyoto. That wasn't going to be of any help. Since Nagisa was listed first in the file on her unit, he assumed that meant the Sacrifice would come first in all of the files and, thus, Aoyagi was a Sacrifice. Ritsu hoped that was the case, since his only real big argument for getting them on their side _was_ that little fact about the girl Aoyagi liked; some classmate named Misaki that he practically stalked all day.

The ringing school bell cut Ritsu out of his thoughts. He packed up his stuff and waited for Iyani to finish packing hers before leaving the class with her behind him. She sidled up next to him in the hall, weaving in and out of the crowd of students.

"What were you thinking about so intently?" She wondered.

"I was just trying to think of a way to convince Copeless to join us." Ritsu stated.

"And?"

"All I can come up with is telling Aoyagi that if we take down Septimal Moon, we can keep her safe. Think about it. If Septimal Moon wants to keep their enemies in line, wouldn't they go after the people or things that matter most to their opponents and take it out completely to render them hopeless and send a message?"

"Yeah. We discussed this before, Ritsu. Are you telling me that you're just _now_ thinking that it's a good idea?"

"No, I've been trying to come up with something else that we could say if that doesn't work, but I don't have enough on Sura to come up with anything, and there's nothing more there that's useful for Aoyagi either. This is really the only shot we have. I don't even know _why_ he hates Septimal Moon so much."

"We'll have to straight up ask him for his reasoning."

Ritsu nodded. "Unfortunately, he may not tell us until _after _he joins. If he does, that is."

Iyani lightly hit his shoulder. "What did I say the other day about being hopeful?"

"Yeah, sorry."

She nodded once. "You better be." She laughed.

"Sorry for what, Minami?" Hibiki's voice asked.

Ritsu groaned. "I don't want to deal with you today, Agatsuma."

He turned to see the teen with an inferiority complex leaning against a row of lockers. There wasn't any girls around him for once.

"Too bad, cause I want to deal with you." Hibiki smirked. "Oh, Iyani. I have good news for you!"

"And what is that?" She snorted.

"Rumor has it that our art teacher is assigning groups for the next project. Maybe if we're lucky, she'll pair us up, hm?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

She scoffed. "As if. I'd tell her to _change_ it."

"She wouldn't' listen to you…but wouldn't it be nice to work together on a project?"

"No, not at all. I'd probably end up doing all the work while you at there and ogled my ass."

Hibiki laughed. "You're funny, Iyani." He stated. "But I'd much rather look at that pretty face of yours." He reached out to touch her, but Ritsu slapped his hand away.

"Don't think about it." The Sacrifice growled.

"What are you going to do?" Hibiki wondered, looking over Ritsu's head at some football players he was friends with. "You'd be outnumbered in a second if you tried anything."

"I'm not doing anything." Ritsu shook his head. "Just offering a word of advice. See, she might just break off your hand if you tried to touch her. I think I did you a favor. I believe you're right handed? Would suck if you couldn't use that hand again for a while."

Hibiki glared.

"He has a point." Iyani rolled her eyes. "So stop trying to get in my pants, and stop trying to cause problems with _him_." She looked at Ritsu. "I'm heading to class. Catch you in lunch."

"You got it." He nodded.

She went on her way without another word to Hibiki. The teen sighed.

"I just want to get to know her better…"

"Take it from me, Agatsuma. It's going to take quite a bit to get her to like you. It took forever for her to actually say more then one word to me that wasn't 'fuck off' or any variant on the phrase."

Hibiki cocked an eyebrow. "Not surprising with you, since you have no luck at all with getting _friends_, let alone girls. But me? Girls seem to like me automatically."

"I couldn't imagine why. You're nothing special."

"Look who's talking." Hibiki snorted. He pushed away from the lockers and walked off towards his football buddies, laughing and waving at them as he approached.

Ritsu sighed and made his way to his next class. He hoped to god Iyani wasn't paired with Hibiki for that alleged class project. Not just because he didn't want the creep around her, but because he was sure one of them wouldn't survive.


	10. Plotless

Dlbn: Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter of Careless!

Nbld: Thank you to Yoitemichaelis and Sycocat2 for reviewing! Pumpkin and apple pies for you both! And if you don't like pies, feel free to take pumpkins and apples ;)

Yoitemichaelis: I think you may have, but it's nice to hear it again XD I'm still working on developing their personalities, but it's fun ^^

Sycocat2: Thanks! Glad you liked! Suspense continues!

Disclaimer: Everything here that is Loveless-canon belongs to Yun Kouga. I make no money off of writing in this fandom. Iyani, Hibiki, Katashi, and other assorted OCs are mine, however.

000

Iyani slammed her tray of food down on the cafeteria table that she shared with Ritsu and his friends. Ritsu's milk carton jiggled a little bit.

"What's wrong?" Katashi wondered.

"Stupid Hibiki…" She muttered. "I _know_ he had something to do with it."

Ritsu groaned. "You didn't get paired with him for that art project, did you?"

Iyani glared.

"Shit."

"When is it due?"

"Next Friday."

"This is going put a damper on our plans to go to Kyoto, isn't it?" Katashi muttered softly.

"Since its _due_ Friday, no." Iyani shook her head. "Still, I don't want to be paired with that womanizing _creep_."

"I second that opinion." Ritsu took a sip of milk from the carton. "At least it's due before we go."

Katashi nodded, shushing them as Ryuunosuke joined their table.

"What's up?" He wondered delving into his food before anyone could answer him.

The four of them carried on with their lunches in silence. A good fifteen minutes passed before the cafeteria doors burst open and Nana ran in, her long coat billowing about her as she ran. She weaved around tables and students to make her way to Ritsu's table. She caught the edge of the table to stop herself. Panting, she looked at them

"Saotome-chan?" Ryuunosuke asked, surprised.

"Meeting. Now." She ordered.

Katashi stood. "Are you alright, Nana?" He wondered.

"I'm fine. Meeting. Now."

"We'll be back…" Ritsu spoke slowly. "Watch our stuff, Ryuunosuke?"

"Sure, why not?" He went back to shoveling his food down his throat.

The three followed Nana out of the cafeteria and into the hallway. No one seemed to notice her abrupt entrance or the group's quick departure.

"What's going on?" Katashi wondered. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"I was running a new simulation on the school computer." Nana informed. "We _can_ win if we take them on separately. But here's the issue. If we get one person alone, fine. But the more people get taken down, the more the others are going to stick with their Fighters. We may have to get them all isolated together and take them down as a group. Of course, Minami-sensei doesn't count because he has no Fighter, so we can take him on at any time. This means we have to have a 6 on 14 battle. We _need_ the others there. The Sacrifices could always call for backup and get help before we can do anything. We will need an exit strategy if we do it that way. The only issue is getting them all together."

"This is all information we've figured out already. What's your point?" Ritsu wondered.

"They only way that we can get them together is if there is a Septimal Moon meeting." Nana stated. "That means that we would have to infiltrate the school. Fighters are never present at the meetings, but they aren't too far behind. We'd need to keep them occupied. The only way we could do that is to call a Septimal Moon meeting and invite everyone _but_ Saichiru. But since he's the head of Septimal Moon, he's the only one that can call a meeting."

"So we would have to use his computer and email to send out a message to everyone else to meet up." Iyani stated. "Oh, I see the problem…they'll reply to it and ruin our plans."

"We'd have to infiltrate the school to get to his computer and send out the memo." Katashi added. "That's another problem."

"So why did you rush in there to tell us this?" Ritsu questioned.

"I infiltrated the school's computer system one more time."

"So?"

"The entire computer lab shut down. They had a virus in there to prevent intruders. They may already know what we're planning."

"They know they've been hacked and possibly what files have been stolen."

"We need to make our move quickly if we hope to get in before they increase security. I saw a memo from Saichiru to the other members and to security forces calling for everyone to be on high alert and for more security."

"But we don't know how long it will take to recruit the others." Ritsu informed. "Shit."

"He's called a Septimal Moon meeting already. The place will be crawling with security, the Septimal Moon members, and their Fighters before Friday even hits."

"So what do you propose we do?" Ritsu put his chin in his hand. "Do we attack early? Or do we wait?"

"We need the others. Absolutely _need_ the others if we hope to escape with our lives." Nana stated. "Going in any sooner then that will surely get us killed."

"What if we start recruiting earlier then planned?" Iyani wondered.

"Nagisa's parents are stricter then ever after her sister died." Nana informed. "I had messaged her on her cell phone and she said they'd kill her if she skipped school. She has Friday off and then a week of vacation after that. I don't know about you guys, but I can skip school next week if we need the time to get the others. We don't have many options."

"At my place, it's just Iyani and myself." Ritsu informed. "We can skip whenever we feel like it."

"My parents wouldn't be surprised if I skipped again, to be honest." Katashi shrugged.

"If I need to, I can hack the system after the week is over and give us our attendance back. Or I could get some notes forged to excuse us all from class. For different reasons, mind you."

"I can play sick." Ritsu stated.

"I can fake a family thing back home." Iyani shrugged.

"I can fake going on a vacation with my family." Katashi added.

"I can fake a sick relative." Nana nodded. "So that's covered. Once we get the others to join us, we can formulate a better plan of attack."

The others nodded.

"We'd have to call our own version of Septimal Moon meetings." Ritsu informed. "But since we're all teenagers, it will be hard when school starts."

"Most high schools in Japan take spring break at the same time." Nana stated. "I did research before I hacked Septimal Moon's computers and got more information. Luckily, the others all go to high schools that take Spring Break with us. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Nagisa's school does."

"So our only major issue is keeping her involved in meetings."

"I took the liberty of speaking to her about it. She said she can fake an illness. Her parents work from 7 in the morning until anywhere between midnight and one in the morning, and her nannies don't check on her during the night because she locks her door." Nana smiled. "If we can get everyone to meet at a rendezvous point at noon, then we have plenty of time to have an in depth meeting, and get everyone home, including Nagisa, before parents begin to worry."

"So if I get this straight, we only have one week to do meetings. Not enough." Ritsu stated. "The meetings for Septimal Moon are two-three times a week, depending on the situation at the time."

"Weekends." Iyani informed. "We meet on Sundays or Saturdays after school."

"It seems like we have everything settled." Katashi nodded. "But why did you have to rush to tell us?"

"The computer lab is down. I got out of there and ran down here. You guys are my alibi." She grinned.

Ritsu and Iyani groaned.

000

The following Friday came around quicker then expected. Iyani had spent a great deal of the past two weeks working on the project with Hibiki. She seemed to hate him a little less each day. But so help Ritsu, if Hibiki tried to take her away from him, he wouldn't care _how_ much he had grown on her; he'd order her to silence or kill him. The charismatic pain in Ritsu's behind had tried to get Iyani to invite him over to her place to work on the project, claiming he was sick of working in school. Luckily, she had made up a new reason that he bought every time, but did agree to go to his place on Saturday after school to work on it instead. Ritsu didn't want the guy anywhere _near _his apartment, let alone _in_ it. The computer lab was out for three days before the school's tech team managed to get it up and running again, leaving Nana with no choice but to actually go to class and spend lunch with her friends. Ryuunosuke didn't seem to notice that anything was strange. He was just happy that girls were finally deciding to sit with them for once. He was so used to it just being the three boys-himself, Ritsu, and Katashi-that Iyani's appearance, and now Nana's, had brightened up his attitude tremendously. He actually acted like a civilized human being instead of a ravenous, gluttonous beast like he had before Nana had joined. Ritsu could tell that he liked the programmer, but Katashi seemed to have warned him away, because he didn't make a move on her.

Having changed out of their school uniforms and into regular clothing, Ritsu and Iyani awaited their friends' arrivals near the Kyoto gate at the Tokyo express line train station. Nagisa was the first to meet up with them. She was dressed in street clothing as well, instead of her uniform.

"Am I late or early?" She wondered.

"On time." Ritsu replied, checking his watch. "I don't know what's _taking_ them so long."

"Nana probably had to work hard to find clothing that's appropriate for where we're going." Nagisa laughed. "I highly doubt tank tops and short shorts are appropriate for a _private school_."

"We go to a private school, and she wears that." Iyani pointed out.

"She hasn't as of late. Only when the computer lab is open so she doesn't have to go to class or deal with anyone else." Ritsu replied. "The first time I saw her in uniform, I didn't recognize her."

"Then you have bad eyesight."

"Yes, I do. But that was a joke." Ritsu adjusted his glasses.

The bluenette flushed, embarrassed.

"We're here!" Nana's voice called. She ran over, waving, although she carried a briefcase and a laptop.

Katashi was at her heels. He wore a pair of slacks and a buttoned up shirt under a grey vest. His Sacrifice looked professional in black kitten heels, a pencil skirt, and a white blouse with a cardigan over it; buttoned in the middle. Nana even had her hair pinned up in a ponytail, then flipped over the back of the bump it formed to hide it and cascade down. Iyani wore a knee length skirt and a nice shirt with ballet flats, and Nagisa wore a black pleated skirt with a white t-shirt with a red sakura petal design on the bottom left corner. Ritsu pulled at the hem of his black t-shirt and looked down at his nicest pair of jeans, embarrassed to look so casual when his friends were dressed up.

"I stick out, don't I?" He wondered.

"I _told_ you to wear slacks." Iyani shook her head. "Or at least a button up shirt."

"Okay, we can't squabble about clothing." Nagisa informed. "Did you handle the tickets, Nana?"

"Yeah, that's what took us so long. I had to pick them up here." She handed each of them a white train ticket with '12:30 PM, outbound to Kyoto' written on it in big, black, blocky letters.

"We have half an hour to kill." Nagisa informed.

"Here." Katashi handed Ritsu the backpack he was carrying. "I was planning on changing into different clothes for this dinner I'm being dragged to with my family, but if you feel that bad about your clothing choices, you can borrow them for now."

"You sure?"

"Yea, I don't mind. You're going to stick out really badly at that place if you go like that, especially if you're standing with us."

The girls laughed as Ritsu flushed, embarrassed.

"I'll go change." He handed Iyani his train ticket. "Hold this."

She took it and watched him leave for the bathroom.


End file.
